CNN
—
Russia’s Lipetsk region has been struck by a “massive” Ukrainian drone attack, according to its governor, as Ukraine’s cross-border assault into Russia shows no sign of easing.
At least nine people were wounded in the attack, which damaged energy infrastructure and prompted the temporary evacuation of residents in several areas, Lipetsk governor Igor Artamonov wrote Friday on Telegram.
The reported strike comes after Russia accused Ukrainian troops of crossing the border into its Kursk region on Wednesday, which marked the first incursion of its kind from Ukraine and put pressure on Moscow in an area largely untroubled by more than two years of war.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the offensive for the first time, saying Moscow must “feel” the consequences of its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia brought the war to our land, and it should feel what it has done,” Zelensky said in his evening address, without directly referencing the assault.
A Ukrainian source with knowledge of Friday’s attack on Lipetsk – which lies even deeper into Russian territory than Kursk – said it struck an airfield in the region, destroying an ammunition depot with more than 700 guided bombs, in a joint operation involving its military, security service and special operation forces.
The source said dozens of fighter jets and helicopters were on the airfield at the time, and that a powerful explosion had led to a huge fire breaking out. Lipetsk’s emergency ministry also reported a fire at a military airfield in the region.
“The enemy is hitting civilians in Kursk and Belgorod,” Artamonov wrote on Telegram. “Today [it] massively attacked our region with drones. We will not be frightened, we will not give in, but we are not going to risk the lives of our people either.”
Russia’s defense ministry said Friday it intercepted and destroyed 75 “aircraft-type” drones, including 19 over Lipetsk, 26 over Belgorod, seven over Kursk, and several others over the regions of Bryansk, Voronezh, and Orel. It said it also destroyed five over Crimea and eight over the waters of the Black Sea.
The reports show that Ukraine’s assault on Russia is not letting up. Although pro-Ukrainian groups of Russian nationals have mounted fleeting cross-border assaults on Russia, and Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the border region of Belgorod with airstrikes, this week’s incursion marks the first time that regular Ukrainian and special operations units have strode into Russian territory.
The intention, according to US and Ukrainian officials, is partly to divert Russian forces away from other parts of the eastern front – from which they have been able to bombard Ukraine’s Kharkiv region – and partly to disrupt and demoralize Russian forces. US officials do not believe Ukraine intends to hold Russian territory for the long term.
On Thursday, Kursk residents wrote on Telegram that “huge, furious battles are underway,” and recorded a video address to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking for his help.
Russia ‘a legitimate target’ for Ukraine
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky, praised the Western response to the Ukrainian assault, saying “most quietly approve” of it. Previous Ukrainian attacks on Russia have made some Western officials jittery, with some arguing that Kyiv should fight only a defensive war to avoid provoking a potential Russian escalation.
Podolyak said Thursday that the West’s response had been “absolutely calm, balanced, objective, and based on an understanding of the spirit of international law and the principles of defensive warfare.” Unlike Zelensky, Podolyak directly referenced “events in the Kursk region.”
“Now, a significant part of the global community considers [Russia] a legitimate target for any operations and types of weapons,” he added.
The European Union foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stanno said Wednesday that Ukraine “has the legal right to defend itself, including striking an aggressor on its territory.” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was slightly more tight-lipped, saying Ukraine has to decide its own tactics.
CNN’s Mariya Knight contributed reporting.
