Kathrine Frich
For much of the war, Russia’s air bases deep inside its territory were viewed as distant from direct danger.
But a new wave of long-range attacks has upended that assumption, with explosions lighting up key military sites and alarming officials on both sides.
Witnesses described unusual blasts overnight as Ukrainian drones pushed the limits of cross-border operations.
Reports from regional authorities and Russian media suggested that an experimental aircraft may have been caught in the fire.
Strikes across Russia
According to East2West News, a Ukrainian attack struck the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex, prompting witnesses to describe “a glow like after a nuclear explosion.”
Local sources claimed the hit ignited an A-60 test plane, a modified aircraft known for carrying a bulb-shaped nose used to house laser-weapon research equipment.
Initial messages on Russian channels also suggested a hangar had been damaged.
It was believed to contain a Tu-95MS strategic bomber undergoing a £36 million upgrade, part of Russia’s nuclear strike fleet.
One witness captured the shock of the event, saying: “Yes, a plane got fed up! F! A glow like after a nuclear explosion.”
Intensifying front
The attack coincided with a night of heavy strikes exchanged by both sides.
In Odesa region, Russian drones crossed briefly into Romanian airspace, prompting NATO to scramble four fighter jets.
The incident happened as ongoing fears grow, that the war’s expansion could trigger accidental or unintended confrontations beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Meanwhile in Kyiv, Russian strikes killed at least six civilians, including an elderly woman.
A Shahed drone set fire to a residential tower block, with residents calling for help as emergency crews battled the flames.
The attacks also destroyed two power plants supplying hot-water heating to homes, worsening living conditions as temperatures drop.
Collateral and confusion
In the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a malfunctioning Russian air-defence missile struck a residential building, creating a separate wave of casualties.
The blast came as Ukrainian drones targeted facilities in the same area, adding to the chaos.
Amid the escalating violence, US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll arrived in Abu Dhabi for talks reportedly involving Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Lt-Gen Kyrylo Budanov, and a Russian delegation.
The meeting aimed to narrow differences over military components of a possible peace plan, though the intensifying strikes underscored the difficulty of de-escalation.
Sources: East2West News, regional Russian authorities, Express
