Ukrainian drones attacked a military airfield in the southern Russian region of Rostov overnight, destroying at least six aircraft and damaging eight others, Ukrainian news outlet Hromadske reported Friday.
About 20 Russian soldiers were killed or injured in the attack on the Morozovsk airfield, RBC-Ukraine reported. The Russian Defence Ministry did not confirm the casualties, announcing on Friday morning that it had thwarted a “terrorist attack with aerial drones” on five Russian regions, including the Rostov region, where it said it had downed 44 drones.
Eight people were injured while investigating a drone that detonated at around midday on Friday near the Morozovsk airfield, governor of the Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said.
The Morozovsk airfield houses three kinds of military bombers — Su-24, Su-24m, and Su-34 — that Russia uses to drop guided bombs on Ukrainian positions and frontline Ukrainian cities.
Telegram channel Baza reported that the attack began at 1:30 am, adding that 44 drones had been intercepted en route to the Morozovsk airfield, and that three drones had damaged an administrative building at a local power station in a separate attack.
The Morozovsk airfield was targeted by Ukrainian drones in December, with Ukrainian military officials claiming that the attack had destroyed two aircraft and caused damage to another 10.