KYIV (Reuters) -Russia hit Ukraine overnight with its largest drone attack since the start of the war, causing some damage at a military airfield in the west of the country that was one of its main targets, the Ukrainian air force said on Monday.
It was the latest in Russian onslaughts since Ukraine destroyed a number of Russian bombers in drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russia earlier this month.
Ukraine’s air defence units downed 460 out of 479 drones and 19 out of 20 missiles launched by the Russian forces, the air force said in a statement.
A military airfield close to Ukraine’s western border was the key target, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said.
“The main strike was targeting… one of the operational air fields. There are some hits,” Ihnat told Ukrainian TV, without elaborating on the damage.
The airfield is in the city of Dubno, about 60 km (40 miles) from Ukraine’s border with Poland, Ukrainian regional authorities said.
Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on Monday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish armed forces said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the attack was another strike in response to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian bases this month, adding that “all designated facilities” had been hit.
The more than three-year-old war in Ukraine has been escalating as the peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow have so far failed to yield any significant results.
The two sides remain deeply divided on how to end the war. Ukraine is pushing for an unconditional ceasefire as a first step, something Russia has repeatedly rejected.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko and Olena Harmash Editing by Frances Kerry)
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