Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian warplanes in one of its biggest drone attacks of the war

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials are claiming they used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six Russian military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russia’s bordering Rostov region. Moscow defense officials claimed they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged in Friday’s nighttime attack. The assault appeared to be one of its biggest air attacks in the war, coming as Kyiv’s forces stepped up their assaults on Russian soil. The Associated Press could not independently verify either side’s claims. The overnight attack targeted a military airfield near Morozovsk in Russia and was conducted by Ukraine’s Security Service in cooperation with the army, Ukrainian intelligence officials told the AP.