KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say they have sunk a Russian submarine and attacked a Russian airfield in the past 24 hours, coinciding with an increase in long-range attacks against Russian targets. Russia said a Ukrainian drone also struck an apartment building, killing one person.
The increase in attacks since July comes as Ukraine is pressuring its allies to allow it to use long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia. Western allies, particularly the United States, have so far resisted, fearing an escalation of tensions with Moscow.
Ukraine attacked a Russian Kilo-class submarine and an S-400 anti-aircraft missile facility in the Moscow-occupied Crimean Peninsula, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement on Saturday. The air defense systems were installed to protect the Kerch Strait bridge, a key logistics and transport hub for supplying Russian forces.
According to the statement, missile and naval forces destroyed four Triumph air defense system launchers, and the Rostov-on-Don submarine of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was attacked and sunk in the port of Sevastopol.
The General Staff also confirmed that Ukrainian forces had carried out a major drone attack on Russia, after which they struck the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov Region. A hit was recorded on an ammunition depot where guided bombs were stored. The operation was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Ministry of Defense, the statement said.
Ukraine claims successful attack on oil depot on Russian soilhttps://t.co/jrqlzv0eMN
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 3, 2024
Meanwhile, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck an apartment building in the city of Shevekino early Sunday, killing one woman. He said the drone also damaged several other buildings in the city.
Gladkov said eight civilians had been wounded in the area since the previous day by Ukrainian artillery fire and dozens of drone attacks.
Russia has seen a sharp increase in the pace of Ukrainian drone barrages and long-range attacks over the course of a month aimed at Russian military infrastructure, including airfields and oil depots, an escalation that analysts say is necessary for Ukraine to weaken Russia’s capabilities.
