Drone attack sets fire at Russian military airfield

(LONDON) — A large fire was burning at a Russian military airfield early on Thursday after it was targeted by drones overnight, officials said.

Videos circulating on Russia social media showed fires and thick black smoke rising from the Marinovka airfield near Volgograd in southern Russia, which the region’s governor confirmed was attacked by multiple drones overnight.

Gov. Andrey Bocharov claimed the drones were shot down but that one fell causing a fire.

Other videos shared overnight appear to show the moment of the attack, with the sound of gunfire followed by explosions near the air base.

The reported attack comes as Ukraine appears to be intensively targeting Russian airfields amid its incursion into Russia.

Last week, Ukraine launched its largest drone attack of the war targeting airfields, striking four in western Russia. On Wednesday, Ukraine even appeared to target an airfield deep in Russia’s north near Murmansk, inside the Arctic Circle.

A massive fire is also continuing to expand at a major fuel storage facility in Russia’s southern Rostov region, which has now been burning out of control for five days after a drone strike.

Dramatic videos showed enormous black smoke clouds rising from the facility, where huge fuel tanks have continued to explode. Another video showed firefighters driving away quickly as a tank exploded.