Ukraine launched a huge drone attack on a major Russian airfield in the Volgograd region in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Residents reported hearing explosions every “one to three minutes’, as ammunition detonated.
NASA’s fire monitoring systems also show multiple fires at the Marinovka airbase, home to a squadron of Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft.
Ukraine has stepped up its aerial bombardment of Russia in recent weeks and months, as it seeks to disrupt Russia‘s war machine.
Oil refineries, airfields, air defence systems and ammunition warehouses have been remorselessly targeted in a carefully calibrated campaign.
Locals living close to the airbase in the village of Oktyabrsky said the airfield was on fire and that missiles loaded onto planes were exploding.
Some were able to capture video footage of the attack as it happened. In one clip there is a loud explosion followed by a ball of flame and then a cloud of thick grey and black smoke rising skywards.
Locals also reported receiving instructions from the authorities to evacuate the area.
One told the independent Russian media channel Astra: “They told us to collect documents, there may be an evacuation.”
Volgograd’s governor, Andrey Bocharov, later confirmed the drone attack on the military airbase.
“Tonight, the air defence forces of the Ministry of Defence repelled a UAV attack on the territory of the Volgograd region in the Marinovka area, most of the drones were destroyed,” he said.
“As a result of the fall of the UAV, a fire broke out on the territory of the Ministry of Defence facility.
“Fire and rescue services promptly began extinguishing the fire. There are no casualties.”
Ukraine‘s army boss General Oleksandr Syrskyi has admitted that Kyiv is trying to disrupt Russia‘s formidable war machine.
In July he said “about 200 critical infrastructure sites” had been attacked. All were connected with “military logistics”.
It comes as Ukraine continues to press its attack in the Kursk region, where Kyiv claims to have captured 93 settlements across an area reportedly measuring 1,263 square kilometres (487 square miles).
