Drone attack damaged 6 Russian planes in Pskov that transferred Shahed UAVs

The Russian airfield in Pskov was hit by a drone attack on the night of August 30. Six Russian IL-76 aircraft were damaged in an attack by unknown drones.

Russia employs both civilian and military personnel at the Pskov airfield, targeted by a vast drone attack. 

The IL-76 is a military transport aircraft used to quickly transfer personnel from their permanent deployment to the combat zone and to transport Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones.

Where is Pskov Airfield, and why it’s important?

The joint airfield base lies in Russia, 6 km south of Pskov. Pskov Airport is vital to the federal government. According to the airport’s website, only two Russian airlines fly from there to four Russian cities and Minsk, Belarus.

The military airfield is located over 700 km from the Ukrainian border, and the Russian 334th Military Transport Aviation Regiment, which operates Il-76 aircraft, is based at the airfield.

Details of the drone attack

Powerful explosions sounded in the Pskov airport, mainly after midnight on August 30. Residents in the area reported seeing roughly 20 drones flying towards the airstrip.

Following the drone strike, a massive fire broke out at the Pskov airfield. Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko wrote that the drone strike damaged six Russian military transport planes, IL-76. Some of the sides, he claims, are beyond repair.

Russian propagandists often circulated the news that the drone strike had been prevented. On the other hand, the Russian invaders acknowledged that the drone attack was successful.