RRussia accused Ukraine of attacking six Russian regions with drones early Wednesday morning. According to the authorities, several heavy military transport aircraft were damaged in an attack on the airport in Pskov, northwestern Russia. The governor of the Pskov region, Mikhail Vedernikov, wrote on his channel on the Telegram application that the army was repelling a drone attack. He posted a short video clip of the sound of an explosion and the glow of flames over the airport.
“As a result of the drone attack, four Il-76 aircraft were damaged. A fire broke out. Two planes caught fire,” said a representative of the rescue services of the Russian state agency TASS. The information could not be independently verified.
According to Russian information, there were also drone strikes in other regions, including the Moscow region, in Bryansk, Orel and in the Sevastopol Bay in Crimea. According to observers, this may be the largest drone attack on Russian territory since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine about 18 months ago.
A social media image provided by Ostorozhno Novosti shows smoke billowing over Pskov
Source: German News Agency/Ostrologno Novosti
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, came under heavy fire from Russian cruise missiles overnight. According to reports, there were violent explosions of anti-aircraft missiles against incoming missiles on the city. The military administration spoke of more than 20 missiles and drones that were „destroyed by the air defense forces.”
Accordingly, this was „the largest missile and drone attack since the spring.” The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, told Telegram on Wednesday morning that missile debris had fallen on buildings in at least two areas. Several fires broke out, including in an office building and in a commercial establishment. At least two people were killed and two others injured.
The head of the military administration in the city of three million, Serhiy Popko, told Telegram that one of the injured was a woman who was taken to hospital with a shard of glass. A wave of cruise missiles from the Caspian region was preceded by a drone attack from the north. Weather alerts have been raised across the country. There were also reports of missiles approaching the Odessa region in southern Ukraine.
All developments in the live tape
08:32 – London: Many deserters show low morale in the Russian army
According to British assessments, the numerous sentences handed down for deserters show the low morale of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine. The UK Ministry of Defense said: „The refusal to fight probably reflects a lack of training and motivation, as well as the high levels of pressure faced by Russian forces along the entire front line in Ukraine.”
The agency cited a July 18 report by independent Russian media portal Mediazona, according to which about 100 servicemen are convicted of desertion every week. He added, „The high number of convictions shows weak morale in the Russian army and the reluctance of some units to fight.”
8:20 a.m. – Current status of the site
The current situation in Ukraine
Source: Information World
8:03 a.m. – Pskov Airport remains closed for the time being after a drone attack
After the drone strikes in the night, Russian authorities canceled eight take-offs and landings at Pskov airport that were scheduled for Wednesday. Aviation regulator Rosawijazija said on Telegram that two charter companies were affected. The reason for the closure is to strengthen security measures. She added that measures would be taken to quickly reopen air traffic.
06:31 – Ukraine: At least two people were killed after the largest air raid on Kiev since spring
At least two people were killed in a missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, according to the military. „Unfortunately, according to preliminary information, two people died in the Shevchenkivsky district of Kiev as a result of falling debris,” said the head of the military department in the capital, Serhiy Popko, on the „Telegram” online service. He added that another person was injured.
04:39 – Klitschko: Explosions in Kiev
The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said that explosions could be heard in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. On his Telegram channel, he urged the city’s residents to stay in shelters.
03:59 – Russia: Another drone was destroyed towards Moscow
According to official information, the Russian air defense once again intercepted a drone that was heading towards the capital, Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on its channel on Telegram that the drone was intercepted and crashed over Russa in the Moscow region. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no damages or injuries. Emergency services are on site. The information could not be independently verified.
03:22 – Governor: drone attack on Sevastopol Bay
According to Russian sources, Ukrainian forces used drones to attack the Sevastopol Bay on the Black Sea during the night. The Moscow-appointed governor of the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, Mikhail Rasvozhayev, wrote on his Telegram channel that the Russian army is on combat readiness and repelling the attack. The information could not be independently verified.
1:28 am – Moscow: Four more Ukrainian drones were shot down
According to official information, Russia once again intercepted four Ukrainian drones. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that three drones were shot down by air defenses over the Bryansk border region, in the southwest of the country. Another drone was shot down over the neighboring Oryol region. The information could not be independently verified.
01:08 AM – Brazil: Russia fails to launch an international investigation into the Prigozhin plane crash
According to Brazilian sources, Russia does not allow an international investigation into the plane crash of the head of the Wagner Mercenary Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The government in Moscow has told Brazilian aviation authority Cenepa that it will not „for the time being” launch an investigation into the accident in accordance with international rules, the aviation authority told Reuters news agency. Prigozhin, two senior generals from his Wagner Group and four bodyguards were among 10 people on board the Brazilian-made Embraer jet that crashed north of Moscow last week.
8:18 pm – The United States announces another $250 million in aid to Ukraine
The United States announced an additional $250 million in military aid to Ukraine. The Defense Department in Washington said the aid package includes equipment for clearing mines and anti-tank obstacles, as well as anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles and more than three million rounds for handguns.
The Pentagon said the support would help Ukraine „confront Russia’s ongoing war of aggression on the battlefield and protect its people.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the online service X (formerly Twitter) that he is personally grateful to „the American people, Congress and President Joseph Biden for the new defense package”. He added, „Artillery, missiles and ammunition are for the Red regimes. This is what our fighters need.”
