This came after Moscow accused Kiev of launching an attack deep in Russian territory, using a drone.
The pictures, published by the adviser to the Ukrainian Minister of Interior, Anton Gerashchenko, show flames devouring the Russian strategic bomber, “Tupolev Tu-22M”, on the grounds of the airport.
Kiev had said earlier that Russia had used the aforementioned Russian strategic bomber, stationed at Soltsey Airport, to bomb Ukrainian territory with KH-22 cruise missiles.
The Ukrainian official attributed to Russian media, that it published pictures of the bomber burning after a drone attack on Soltsy Airport, in Novgorod Province, western Russia, on Saturday.
The Ukrainian official did not explicitly indicate his country’s responsibility for the attack.
Ukraine has pursued a policy of striking targets inside Russian territory over the past months, but without explicitly announcing the adoption of these operations.
Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that one plane was damaged as a result of the attack, without specifying its type, noting that firefighters had put out a fire at the airport, which is hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border, according to the American “Newsweek” website.
After the attack, the Russian Air Force transferred a number of bombers at that airport to a base in the Arctic, according to reports.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War considered that the attack on Soltsey Airport exposed the Russian Ministry of Defense to severe criticism from military bloggers.
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