Ukrainian drones struck a key military airport in Russia’s Lipetsk region, forcing authorities this week to declare a state of emergency in another Russian region in response to Kiev’s ongoing cross-border offensive.
Ukrainian troops attacked Lipetsk Airport – about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Ukrainian border – on Thursday night, hitting warehouses and unidentified objects near the airport, the General Staff said. explain In a Telegram post translated by Google.
“Multiple sources of fire were recorded, intense fires occurred and multiple explosions were observed,” the Ukrainian military added, noting that Su-34, Su-34 and MiG-31 aircraft were all based in Lipetsk.
In a massive Telegram update on Google Translate, Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov said “A lot of“Drone strikes damage energy infrastructure, leading to power supply interruption and announced state of emergency In the municipal area.
Artamonov said in a later Telegram update translated by Google: “Currently, there are nine people on the list of victims. All are receiving necessary assistance.” He did not elaborate on the condition of the injured.
“The enemy is attacking civilians in Kursk and Belgorod, and today they attacked our region massively with drones. We will not be afraid, we will not surrender, but we will not risk the lives of our people,” he added.
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
This is the second time a state of emergency has been imposed in a Russian region, as Kiev continues its largest incursion into enemy territory since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kursk declares state of emergency. Ukraine did not officially acknowledge the attack.
Kursk still reporting missile danger alert As of Friday, the latest news from Telegram region governor Alexey Smirnov, according to Google Translate, said the situation on the ground remained “difficult.”
Moscow continued its own advances, with a Russian missile hitting a supermarket in the town of Kostianevka in Ukraine’s frontline Donetsk region on Friday. At least 10 people were killed and 35 injured, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a report via Google Translate telegram updates.
Kyiv’s cross-border incursion is unlikely to mark an attempt to seize Russian territory, but is more likely to be a counterattack against similar offensives carried out by Moscow on Ukrainian territory, particularly in the Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian military attacked Lipetsk airport on Saturday explain It carried out an attack on Morozovsk Airport in the Rostov region of Russia, claiming to have hit a local ammunition depot. The Ukrainian army said it also targeted a number of oil depots and fuel and lubricant storage facilities in Rostov, Kursk and Belgorod during the same offensive.
“Wherever Russian fighter jets are, they must be destroyed by all effective means. Attacking Russian airports is also quite fair,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement translated by Google. telegram updates August 3, after the strike in Morozovsk.
On Thursday, the Kiev leader said his government acknowledged the cross-border offensive for the first time, saying in his statement night lecture “Russia brought war to our soil and it should feel what it has done.”
Asked whether Ukraine’s Kursk incursion was consistent with Washington’s position to allow Kyiv to use U.S.-provided weapons for defense purposes, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singer said: “It is consistent with our policy. , we have supported Ukraine in defending its country from the beginning.
“So they are taking action to protect themselves from attacks from areas within U.S. policy where they can operate our weapons, our systems and our capabilities,” she said.
