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Two planes and a helicopter have been blown up by "unknown saboteurs" on Russian soil, Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence agency (GUR) said on Wednesday.
The aircraft and helicopter were "significantly damaged" on September 18 at the Chkalovsky airbase in Moscow Oblast in a "sabotage operation" that is being probed by the Investigative Committee of Russia, the GUR said.
Attacks on Russia's airbases have ramped up in recent weeks. One such attack late last month destroyed four Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft stationed at an airfield in the western city of Pskov, near to Russia's borders with Estonia, Latvia and Belarus, according to the GUR. It didn't claim responsibility, in line with Kyiv's policy of distancing itself from attacks on Russian soil.
The September 18 incident "caused a powerful hysteria in the military corridors as the government planes, 'doomsday planes' and special planes (reconnaissance planes) are based at the mentioned airfield," the agency said in a press release.
The GUR said unknown persons planted explosives at the heavily guarded airfield, and blew up AN-148 and IL-20 aircraft (both belonging to the 354th Special Purpose Aviation Regiment), as well as an MI-28H helicopter, which was involved in shooting down attack drones over the Moscow region.
"The damage done to the aircraft will not allow for a quick recovery. The tail part of the helicopter was damaged by the explosion. Another AN-148, which was close to the others in the parking lot, received 'light' damage," the intelligence agency said.
It added: "The penal authorities of the Russian Federation are conducting measures to find saboteurs and limit the dissemination of information about the event in the local media."
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry via email for comment.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for a rise in attacks on its territory, many of which have struck military targets.
Last month, an intelligence report from the British defense ministry said that such strikes may have come from within Russian territory.
Russia appears to have adopted measures to protect its aircraft amid the rise in attacks on its airbases.
A satellite image dated September 1, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by user Tatarigami_UA, a self-described Ukrainian military officer in reserves, showed Russia's military covered the wings of a Tu-95 strategic bomber with car tires.
The user said Russian forces are deploying the tactic at the military airfield in Engels, some 500 miles (more than 800 kilometers) southeast of Moscow, to deter drone attacks.
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About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more