A Ukrainian drone attack on the Taganrog-Yuzhny airfield has set fire to a Russian A-60 aircraft, a secretive plane designed to carry laser weapons. The strike hit the Beriev aircraft manufacturing plant, with witnesses reporting a glow “like after a nuclear explosion”. Russia is believed to have only two such aircraft, based on the Il-76MD transport plane.
The attack is part of a wave of Ukrainian strikes on Russian military infrastructure, which also hit a hangar possibly housing a Tu-95MS strategic bomber undergoing modernisation. Three people died in Taganrog and 11 were wounded, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev, who described the night as “one of the longest and most massive” of the war.
In response, Russia launched a massive strike on Kyiv, hitting two hot water power plants and a hydroelectric station, killing at least six people including an 86-year-old woman. The city suffered power and water outages. A Shahed drone ignited a tower block, with residents screaming for help.
Separately, a Russian air defence missile misfired and struck a residential building in Novorossiysk, in an apparent friendly fire incident. Footage shows a low-flying glowing object crashing into a building and exploding. Four people were injured. Attacks were also reported in Gelendzhik and Tuapse.
The strikes came as peace talks intensified. US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll met in Abu Dhabi with Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov and a Russian delegation to discuss military aspects of a peace plan. Budanov is one of Russia’s most wanted men. Meanwhile, a Russian drone overflew Romanian airspace, prompting NATO to scramble two German Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
