Russia has lost six more of its warplanes after a Ukrainian drone strike on Putin’s airfields in the Rostov region.
Launching more than 50 drones at Russian territory, eight other aircraft were severely damaged, and 20 service personnel were killed or wounded, RBC Ukraine reports.
More than 60 explosions were reported in the region, as an overnight kamikaze drone strike targeted three crucial Russian airfields.
Frontline bombers – Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 – are known to be regularly situated at the Morozovsk base.
Russia has yet to report on the attacks.
A Ukrainian security source said the attack “will significantly reduce the combat potential of the Russians”.
Satellite imagery taken before the strike appears to show at least 30 Russian fighter jets and bombers stationed at the base.
“The results of the joint special operation are amazing – at least six Russian military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight received significant damage,” a source told the local news outlet.
If the attack is verified, it will be one of the biggest blows to the Russian president’s air force.
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A source in Kyiv told AFP that the attack was carried out by the SBU security service and the military.
They said: “This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the Russians.”
Earlier this week, a Ukrainian drone smashed into a Russian oil refinery.
The pilotless device struck Russia’s third-largest oil refinery on Tuesday, hitting a unit of around 155,000 barrels of crude per day. However, a source said the attack caused no vital damage.
Zelensky is also increasing efforts to take on Putin’s troops by dropping the mobilisation age for combat duty from 27 to 25.
The Ukrainian leader said in December that the military had proposed mobilising up to 500,000 more Ukrainians into the armed forces.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the new head of the Ukrainian armed forces said last week that the figure was no longer up-to-date and that it had been “significantly reduced” after a review of resources.
The decision comes as Ukrainian troops suffered setbacks on the battlefield and Kyiv faces a shortage of ammunition supplies.
