Kyiv (TDI): Ukrainian forces said Saturday they had carried out a strike on a Russian air base inside the Voronezh region, as Russia continued its relentless aerial bombardment of Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight.
Ukraine’s military General Staff said the target was the Borisoglebsk airfield, which it described as a key base for Russia’s fleet of Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM fighter jets. A statement posted on Facebook said the strike hit a depot storing glide bombs, a training aircraft, and potentially other military assets.
Russian authorities have yet to issue any official response to the claim.
Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russian airfields in recent months in a bid to weaken Moscow’s air power and disrupt long-range bombing missions. Just weeks ago, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed over 40 Russian aircraft in a surprise drone operation deep inside Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Russia launched a massive drone barrage overnight, firing more than 300 drones and decoys into Ukrainian territory. According to Ukraine’s air force, 157 were intercepted and another 135 were likely disabled by electronic jamming.
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The Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine was reportedly the main focus of the assault, though local officials said no injuries or damage were recorded.
This latest wave of attacks follows Friday’s deadly air assault on Kyiv, the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion began more than three years ago. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Saturday that two people had been confirmed dead, with at least 26 others injured.
The fresh escalation comes just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with US President Donald Trump, describing the exchange as “very important and productive.”
In a statement, Zelensky said they discussed bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses, expanding joint arms production, and broader efforts led by Washington to end the war. Trump later confirmed the call, telling reporters, “We had a very good call, I think,” though he remained non-committal about the prospects for ending the conflict. “I don’t know. I can’t tell you whether or not that’s going to happen,” he said.
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The US has recently delayed shipments of key military equipment to Ukraine, including air defense systems, prompting European allies to consider stepping in to bridge the gap. Zelensky said Ukraine was working to expand its domestic arms production, but acknowledged that the ramp-up would take time.
On the other side, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight, with an additional 12 intercepted on Saturday morning. There were no reports of casualties.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
