Aircraft, oil depot, and military unit destroyed: Details of the largest drone attack on Russia
Photo: Pskov and Bryansk attacked with drones on August 30 (Russian media)
On the night of August 29th to 30th, Russia came under the most extensive drone attack since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Read about the largest drone attack on Russia in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
Last night, the central and southwestern parts of Russia were under attack. Russian military traditionally reported a successful defense against the attack, but a lot of damage was captured on video by eyewitnesses.
Strikes on Pskov
The key target for drones in Pskov was the local airport, which is used by both civilian and military aviation.
"The Ministry of Defense in the Pskov airport repelled a drone attack. I have been on the scene since the beginning of the incident. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties. The extent of damage is being clarified," said Mikhail Vedernikov, the governor of the Pskov region.
Later, it was reported that four Il-76 transport planes were damaged as a result of the attack. Satellite images of the airfield show that the aircraft were previously densely parked without cover, so the undisclosed losses in equipment could be even greater.
Local Telegram channels claim that at least ten drones attacked the Pskov airport. Shortly after the attack, the "Edelweiss" plan was implemented around the airport, which involved the gathering of personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
After the attack, Russian forces began to remove surviving transport planes from the airport. At least five aircraft were left at the aerodrome overnight.
ASTRA reports that a fire also started in the area of military unit 64044. This is the location of the 2nd GRU special forces brigade in Promezhytsi, which participated in the invasion of Ukraine.
Later, it became known that Pskov Airport would not be servicing civilian flights on August 30th after a nighttime drone attack.
Strikes on Bryansk
Residents of the Bryansk region also reported explosions in the regional center and its suburbs. According to several sources, drones attempted to attack the "Druzhba" oil depot.
Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, claimed that supposedly three UAVs were shot down over Bryansk. In addition, the "Kremni EL" plant, which is on the list of the largest Russian microelectronics enterprises, came under attack. It is claimed that a fire broke out at the facility, and there is damage.
Furthermore, "cotton" (explosion, ironically) also became an issue in the building of the investigative committee in Bryansk - windows are broken, but there are supposedly "no casualties."
Explosions in other regions of Russia
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that they allegedly managed to destroy three drones in the Bryansk region and one in the sky over the Oryol region at night. Later, it became known that three more UAVs were shot down over the Kaluga, Tula, and Ryazan regions.
In addition, in the early morning, it was reported that a drone was intercepted in the Ruzsky district of the Moscow region.
"Tonight, there was an attempt to carry out a mass drone attack in the Central Federal District. One of the UAVs, which was heading to Moscow, was destroyed by the air defense forces in the Ruzsky district. There are no casualties and no damage reported," said Sergey Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow.
Reaction of the Russian Ministry of Defense
Shoigu stated that today, around 4 o'clock Moscow time, there was allegedly an "attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using UAVs of an aircraft type."
The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of strikes on facilities within the territory of the Russian Federation.
