During Friday’s missile attack, Russian forces wanted to target young Ukrainian pilots who are to be trained to operate F-16 aircraft, said Yuri Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force. He reported that Russian missiles were flying towards military airfields.
According to Ihnat, the Russians targeted the Kolomyia airport in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. In his opinion, the Russian forces wanted to hit the Ukrainian young pilots who will soon go to F-16 training. “They wanted to target our youth and deprive us of the prospect of transitioning to Western equipment,” an Air Force spokesman added.
Ihnat noted that the Russian attack was not successful for the enemy. He also said that Ukrainian military airports have been in the enemy’s crosshairs for a long time. – The military airport in Starokostiantyniv (in the Khmelnitsky region) is currently facing the effects of the attacks the most – he announced.
The plane on the tarmac of the military airport in Starokonstantynów. Illustrative photo Tactical Aviation Brigade Petr Franka/Facebook
With the use of drones, cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles
As the Ukrainian section of the BBC reminded in Friday’s publication, the Russians have been trying to destroy the military airport in Starokostiantyniv since the beginning of the armed aggression. The object was attacked using drones, cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles.
“The air base in Starokostiantyniv is one of the best equipped in the country, with specially reinforced parking shelters and a suitable runway. As for the air brigade stationed in this city, from the beginning of the armed invasion, it took an active part in hostilities, in particular in operations for the liberation of Snake Island and support for Ukrainian soldiers surrounded by Russians in factories Azovstal in Mariupol,” the BBC reported.
Child dies after rocket fire
Local authorities reported that on Friday morning Russian troops launched a missile attack on a civilian facility in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. A child was killed in the shooting.
Earlier on Friday, there were reports of Kinzhal hypersonic missiles targeting the capital Ukraine – Kiev and the successful repulse of this attack by the air defense forces. City officials said no one was killed or injured.
According to the Ukrainian media, explosions were also heard on Friday in the Khmelnitsky and Vinnytsia regions in the western part of the country.
Main photo source: Tactical Aviation Brigade Petr Franka/Facebook