Ukraine unleashes large drone attack on Russian airfield as Kyiv's offensive continues

• Ukrainian drones struck a key military airfield in Russia's Lipetsk region, as Kyiv continues its largest offensive on Russian soil since the start of the war.
• Ukrainian forces targeted the airfield in Lipetsk — roughly 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the border with Ukraine — on Thursday night, hitting warehouses and a number of unspecified objects in the vicinity of the airport, Ukraine's General Staff of Command said in a Google-translated Telegram post.
• Earlier in the week, the Ukrainian offensive led to the evacuation of thousands of people and a state of emergency being announced in Kursk.

Ukrainian drones struck a key military airfield in Russia's Lipetsk region, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency in another Russian region this week in the face of Kyiv's ongoing cross-border offensive.

Ukrainian forces targeted the airfield in Lipetsk — roughly 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the border with Ukraine — on Thursday night, hitting warehouses and a number of unspecified objects in the vicinity of the airport, Ukraine's General Staff of Command said in a Google-translated Telegram post.

"Several sources of ignition were recorded, a strong fire broke out and multiple detonations were observed," the Ukrainian military added, noting that the Su-34, Su-34 and MiG-31 aircraft are based at Lipetsk.

Over a spate of Google-translated Telegram updates, Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov said a "massive" drone attack had damaged an energy infrastructure facility, leading to power supply disruptions and to the announcement of a state of emergency in the municipal district.

"At the moment, there are 9 people on the list of victims. All are receiving the necessary assistance," Artamonov said in a later