Russian Airfield Just 100 Miles From Moscow Targeted in Drone Attack

Ukrainian drones hit a military airfield close to the Russian capital, social media channels have reported with images shared purporting to show the aftermath of the strikes.

Often without directly claiming responsibility, Kyiv has stepped up its drone strikes on military and energy infrastructure on Russian territory, which have delivered blows to Moscow's military machine.

In the latest reported incident, drones attacked the military airfield in Dyagilevo, near the city of Ryazan, around 100 miles southeast of Moscow on Saturday.

The air base is a training center for Russia's strategic bomber force and is the site of Tupolev Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, Tu-134UBL aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker.

Social media users posted images of smoke rising over the city and Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported that an oil refinery in the Ryazan region had also been hit, without specifying which one.

It is unclear whether there was any significant damage caused by the drones with Moscow likely to be reluctant to admit that a military facility had been hit.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that Kyiv had attempted a "terrorist attack" using drones but this was "thwarted" with several of the devices "destroyed over the Ryazan region" by air defenses.

The SHOT Telegram channel posted video of a drone buzzing overhead noting how residents had heard explosions by the airfield at around 6 a.m., with the outlet repeating the Defense Ministry line that all were downed and there was no damage or casualties.

The Defense Ministry in Moscow also said its air defense units intercepted 21 drones launched over the Russian region of Bryansk, just over the border, with 12 downed within an hour. Governor of Belgorod Vyacheslav Gladkov said his region was also targeted by Ukrainian drones.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment.

It comes only days after an oil refinery in the Russian town of Tuapse on the Black Sea coast caught fire following a Ukrainian drone barrage which was carried out by Ukraine's military intelligence service (HUR), the Kyiv Independent reported.

Russian Telegram channels said the attack also started a fire near the Morozovsk air base in the neighboring Rostov region.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian infrastructure with drones and missiles. Romania scrambled F-16 fighter jets following a Russian drone attack against Izmail in southwestern Ukraine on July 24 by the border of the NATO member.

Debris from the devices was found the following day in Plauru on Romanian territory.

Andrii Cherniak, spokesperson of Ukraine's military intelligence, told Reuters that Moscow was now increasingly using a cheaply made Shahed-type drones to identify air defense systems and act as decoys.

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