A fire erupted after Ukraine launched a barrage of drone strikes on a Russian military base in Lipetsk amid a major cross-border incursion, footage from social media showed.
Residents of four settlements near the Lipetsk airbase were reportedly being evacuated after the explosions as local authorities declared a state of emergency.
The large-scale drone attack disrupted power supplies and left nine people wounded, according to regional governor Igor Artamonov. More than 700 guided bombs were destroyed in the strike, the Ukrainian National News agency reported. Glide bombs are a type of precision-guided munition that combines a conventional bomb and a cruise missile.
“We will not be frightened; we will not give in, but we also do not plan to risk the lives of our people,” Artamonov said.
Massive explosions coming from the Lipetsk air base after UAVs struck the area.
Local authorities have declared a state of emergency, residents of 4 settlements located near the airfield are being evacuated. Public transport in the city is not running.
Source: Astra pic.twitter.com/XiuwlRzroN
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) August 9, 2024
Around 1,000 Ukrainian troops in tanks and armored vehicles successfully penetrated Russia’s defenses and broke through the border into the Kursk region in the early hours of Tuesday.
Ukraine’s sudden shock offensive in the southwestern Kursk region appears to be the most significant attack on Russian soil since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It was the first time since World War II that a foreign army launched an incursion into Russian territory.
A statement released by the Ukrainian military said: “Tonight, the Defense Forces of Ukraine attacked the Lipetsk airfield (Lipetsk region, Russia). During the attack, warehouses with guided aerial bombs and a number of other objects in the airport area were hit. Several ignition sources were recorded, a strong fire broke out, and multiple detonations were observed.
“It is known that Su-34, Su-35, and MiG-31 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are based at the Lipetsk airfield. The results of the defeat are being clarified.”
The incursion is a major provocation in the ongoing conflict, which could lead to the war escalating beyond the boundaries of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Russia needed to “feel” the consequences of its invasion.
Ukrainian soldiers take part in training exercises at an undisclosed location in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on July 22. Ukraine launched a drone attack on a Russian airbase on Friday.
Andrii Marienko/AP
Victoria Vdovychenko, program director on Security Studies at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Geopolitics, told Newsweek: “The territory they have taken under control in just two days far exceeds the gains the enemy has made in two months. Given the scale and intensity of the Ukrainian operation, the enemy will likely be forced to redeploy troops not only from the Kharkiv direction but also from other operational directions, including part of the strategic reserves it has been accumulating for August-September, to Kursk Oblast.
“Zelensky, in light of reports of fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, stated that Russia must also feel the impact of the war. It also means to create a momentum for the Ukrainian armed forces to have a strategic advantage in the area.
“Geopolitically speaking, the advance of Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region is not a cause for concern for the Pentagon, according to the department’s press service, nor for EU or any other Western leaders taking into account that Ukraine is creating opportunities to hit strategic targets on the RF territory.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on August 4. Zelensky said that Russia must “feel” the impact of the war.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
RUSI’s Military Sciences Director Matthew Savil told Newsweek that the strike is a “blow to Russian morale.”
“It’s not the first incursion into Russia, but I think it’s the first on this scale with conventional forces rather than proxies/’resistance’ groups. And it’s noteworthy that the Ukrainians seem to have caught the Russians by surprise,” Savil said.
“This is intended to strike a blow against Russian prestige and morale and send a signal to international backers that Ukraine is still in the fight and can maneuver; this could be to try and capture more Russian prisoners of war for future prisoner exchanges. It could be part of threatening rear lines and forces in Russia that led to the withdrawal of the Russian forces that tried to create the Kharkiv ‘buffer zone.’
“It’s a risky operation if it is more than a ‘raid’ to disorient Russian defenders, but the Ukrainians have shown themselves resourceful before, and it’s hard to second-guess them from a thousand miles away while this is only a few days old,” he said.
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