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Kyiv has been attacking Russian airbases to reduce Moscow's
ability to use its warplanes to strike targets in Ukraine and
hammer front lines with guided bombs and missiles. Russia began
a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"Several sources of ignition were recorded, a large fire broke
out and multiple detonations were observed," Kyiv's military
said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russian Su-34, Su-35 and MiG-31 warplanes were based at the
airfield, it said.
A security source told Reuters that the attack was carried out
by drones as dozens of planes and helicopters stood on the
airfield, as well as a warehouse containing 700 guided bombs.
The Russian governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov said
a "massive attack" by Ukrainian drones had caused explosions,
disrupted power supply and wounded nine people.
The Interfax news agency cited local emergency officials as
saying a fire had broken out at the airbase outside the regional
capital.
The Ukrainian source said most of the aircraft did not have time
to take off.
"In early August we cleared the Morozovsk airfield of guided
bombs and fighters, today it's the turn of Lipetsk-2," the
source said.
Last Saturday, Ukraine said it had hit an ammunition depot at
the Morozovsk airfield, where it said Russian forces stored
guided aerial bombs and other equipment and had a number of fuel
storage facilities.
Ukraine's ability to strike military targets deep inside Russia
has been hampered by its lack of long-range missiles. It has
been appealing to the West to allow it to use Western-supplied
weapons for such strikes.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Tom Balmforth; editing by Mark
Heinrich and Kevin Liffey)
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