The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Saturday that "a Ukrainian drone targeted a military airport in the Novgorod region of Russia, causing a fire and damaging a warplane." The Ukrainian Telegram channel War Monitor reported that at least two Tu-22M3 bombers were damaged at the Soltsy-2 air base located in the Novgorod region. The ministry stated that the attack resulted in no injuries and described it as a "terrorist attack." It added, "A fire broke out in the aircraft parking area and was quickly extinguished by firefighters."
Earlier in the day, the ministry announced the interception of a missile launched by Ukraine over the Crimean Peninsula during the night, noting that there were no injuries or damages. The statement read: "In the early hours of today, Russian missile defense systems shot down an S-200 missile used by Ukrainian forces to attack facilities in the Crimean Peninsula overnight." It added, "The Kyiv regime attempted a terrorist strike on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula with a surface-to-air missile converted into an offensive version; the missile was detected in time by Russian air defense forces and was shot down."
The Russian Ministry of Defense also reported that "Russia thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region." It added that "the drone was intercepted and fell near the residential area of Butilkovo, near the capital, stating that this attack did not result in human or material losses." Drone attacks on areas deep within Russia have increased over the past few months. One such drone collided with a building in downtown Moscow on Friday after being shot down by Russian air defenses, leading to the disruption of air traffic at all civil airports in the Russian capital. Ukraine typically does not comment on its responsibility for attacks on Russian territory or the Crimean Peninsula; however, officials have publicly expressed satisfaction with the attacks.
