Ukraine Strikes Russian Warplanes; Missile Attack Kills Five in Ukraine

Ukraine’s military struck four warplanes at an airbase in central Russia’s Volgograd region as part of an operation to target Russian war assets. The attack targeted four Su-34 aircraft at the Marinovka base near Volgograd, about 900km from the Ukrainian border. The military’s special operations branch, along with the SBU security service and other services, conducted the operation. The statement mentioned hitting the SU-34 planes and technical-operational facilities. There was no immediate response from the Russian military.

The damage at Marinovka is under assessment, with the Su-34 identified as Russia’s primary aircraft for bombing raids on Ukrainian territory. Volgograd governor Andrei Bocharov reported Ukrainian drone attacks on the Kalanchyovsky district, where Marinovka is situated. Traffic on the Don River bridge in the district was temporarily restricted.

A Russian missile strike in the city of Samar in Ukraine’s south-east killed five people and injured 25 on Friday, marking the second attack on the city in three days. Four of the wounded were in severe condition. Officials provided no immediate details on the extent of damage in the city, where a previous attack on an infrastructure facility had claimed two lives.