Ukraine's Bold Drone Strikes on Russian Airfields: Strategic Precision in Action

Ukraine executed its largest long-range drone strike on four Russian military airfields, targeting fuel and aviation weapon warehouses. The operation aims to weaken Moscow's aerial assault capabilities. President Zelenskiy praised the strike's accuracy and timing. Russia's defense ministry reported intercepting numerous drones and missiles, but damage assessments are ongoing.

Ukraine said on Wednesday it had conducted its most extensive long-range drone attack of the war, hitting four Russian military airfields overnight in what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy lauded as 'timely' and 'accurate'.

The General Staff announced on Telegram that the air bases 'Khalino', 'Savasleyka', 'Borisoglebsk', and 'Baltimor' in the regions of Voronezh, Kursk, and Nizhniy Novgorod were targeted. 'The primary objectives were fuel and lubricant depots and aviation weaponry,' it stated, noting that the attack results were still being evaluated.

A Kyiv security source indicated the strike aimed to disrupt Moscow's capacity to use warplanes for bombing raids on Ukraine. Reuters could not independently verify this claim. Ukraine is still assessing the damage extent, the source noted.

'Thanks for the accurate, timely, and effective strikes on Russian airfields. Ukrainian drones are performing exactly as they should,' Zelenskiy addressed the military on Wednesday. Russia's defense ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted 117 drones and four tactical missiles fired by Ukraine at multiple regions, including Kursk.

The airfield assault coincides with Ukrainian troops pushing forward in Russia's Kursk region after launching an unexpected operation, marking their most significant battlefield progress since 2022. The incursion led to a reduced number of guided bomb attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, said the local governor on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies.)