Ukrainian Air Force stated on Monday (June 9) that Russia launched the largest scale of unmanned drone attacks since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, causing partial damage to a major military airbase in the western part of the country.
In a statement, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian anti-aircraft forces managed to bring down 460 out of 479 drones launched by the Russian military, as well as 19 out of 20 missiles.
Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, mentioned that a military airbase near the western border of Ukraine was the primary target of the Russian attack. In an interview with a Ukrainian television station, he stated, “The main target was a combat airfield, some targets were hit,” without providing detailed information on the extent of the damage.
Local authorities in Ukraine revealed that the airbase is located in Dubno, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the border with Poland.
Polish armed forces reported that Polish and allied aircraft were deployed on Monday morning to ensure the security of Polish airspace.
The Russian Ministry of Defense asserted that this attack was in retaliation for the airstrike launched by Kyiv on a Russian airbase earlier this month, adding that “all designated targets” were hit. Earlier in the month, Ukraine carried out drone attacks on several deep inside Russian airbases, destroying dozens of Russian bombers.
Despite the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine for over three years, peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow have not yielded substantial results so far, with tensions escalating. Both sides remain at serious odds on how to end the war. Ukraine advocates for an unconditional ceasefire as a first step, which has been repeatedly rejected by Russia.
(This article referred to reports from Reuters)