Small flat-packed cardboard drones reportedly destroyed at least five Russian warplanes in the western city of Kursk last weekend, and may have also been used in a devastating attack on a military airfield in Pskov on Tuesday that put four transport planes out of service.
Sunday’s attack on the Kursk airfield, located not far from the Ukrainian border, killed one Mig-29 and four Su-30 fighter jets, the Ukrainian Security Service reported.
Two Pantsir missile launchers and the radar of an S-300 air defense system are also believed to have been damaged.
The attack almost 100 miles from Russian territory was said to have been carried out using innovative cardboard drones made by Australian company SYPAQ, which cost just $3,500 each and are virtually undetectable by Russian radar systems.
In March, the manufacturer announced that it had secured a contract with the Australian government to deliver 100 drones each month to Ukraine.
Cardboard drones made by Australian company SYPAQ, which cost just $3,500 each, are believed to have been used in an attack on an airfield in Kursk, Russia, last Sunday. SYPAQ/east2west news
The easy-to-assemble unmanned aerial vehicles, with a payload of 6.6 pounds and a range of up to 75 miles, were originally designed to deliver light orders from Amazon over long distances in Australia.
In the hands of the Ukrainians, it seems that they have been transformed into kamikaze drones.
Although Ukraine has not officially confirmed the use of SYPAQ drones, its ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Cardboard drones from Australia used in attack on Russian airfield.”
Drones may also have played a role in Tuesday’s vicious attack on an airfield in Pskov, located about 500 miles from the Ukrainian border. Arellano, John.
A satellite image from August 16 shows an IL-76 transport plane at the Pskov airbase.
A satellite image from Thursday, two days after the drone strike, shows what was left of the IL-76 plane.
A Ukrainian security service official said 16 drones were launched at the target in Kursk and three were shot down.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attack on the airfield but did not comment on any damage to the plane.
Australian-made drones may also have been used in the most recent attack on the “Kresty” air base in Peskov, a picturesque medieval town located about 500 miles from the Ukrainian border in northwestern Russia, near Estonia. .
Ukrainian Defense Intelligence has released pictures showing the moment when one of the IL-76 aircraft was attacked by a drone.telegram
The planes were targeted specifically because they are used to transport military cargo and troops to Ukraine.telegram
The operation was launched from inside Russia, said Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.
“We work from the territory of Russia,” he told online outlet The War Zone. He did not specify the number or type of drones used, nor did he say who carried out the attack: employees of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence or “partisans.”
Budanov confirmed that four Russian IL-76 military transport planes were hit, as seen in photos and satellite videos posted online, documenting the destruction of the planes.
“Two were destroyed and two were seriously damaged,” the head of military intelligence said.
According to Budanov, the IL-76 quartet was targeted specifically because Russia used them to airlift cargo and military troops.
Ukrainian officials said the attack on the Pskov airfield was carried out by people inside Russia.SYPAQ/east2west news
Witnesses reported seeing about 20 drones in the sky over Pskov, according to Telegram channel Mash, followed by loud explosions that are said to have caused a raging inferno at the airbase.
When asked about the incident in Pskov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov directed all questions to the Defense Ministry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday praised what he said was the use of new Ukrainian weapons with a range of 500 miles, roughly the distance between the Ukrainian border and Pskov.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to the president, warned on Friday that drone strikes on Russian soil will only intensify, indicating that the conflict was slowly shifting to Russia.
Major General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian Military Intelligence, confirmed the attack in Pskov.REUTERS
“As for Russia… there is an increasing number of attacks by unidentified drones launched from the territory of the Russian Federation, and the number of these attacks will increase,” Podolyak told Reuters.
“Because this is the stage of the war… where hostilities are gradually being transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation,” he added.
with postal wires
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Source: vtt.edu.vn