‘Target hit 700 kilometers away!’ Zelensky celebrates Ukraine’s defense industry, possibly hinting at Russia’s Pskov airport
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the results of his meeting with members of the Ukrainian government. Spotlighting the report of the Ministry of Strategic Industries, he said: “Successful use of our long-range weapons: target hit 700 kilometers away!”
The president did not clarify what target he was talking about, but the distance he mentioned (roughly equal to 435 miles) matches the rough distance from the Ukrainian border to the Russian Pskov airport, attacked by drones on the night of August 30. According to Ukrainian defense intelligence, four Il-76 airlifters were destroyed and two other aircraft were damaged in the overnight strike.
Satellite images of the area also show two damaged planes.
The Ukrainian investigative project Skhemy (a division of Radio Free Europe) has published satellite images of the area from August 29, crediting the Planet Labs satellite image archive. According to the military expert Anatoly Khrapchinsky, who spoke to Skhemy, the photos suggest that UAVs may have been targeting the aircrafts’ fuel tanks.
Pskov airport is the home base of Russia’s 334th Military Transport Regiment, part of the 76th Airborne Assault Division, whose units took part in invading Ukraine and occupying Bucha in the Kyiv region.
