Russia reports more drone attacks from Ukrain

Moscow: Russian officials said on Friday that air defences intercepted drones heading toward three of the country's western regions, while satellite images indicated that a major drone barrage earlier in the week destroyed at least two Ilyushin Il-76 military transport planes at a Russian air base.

Regional governors said defence systems stopped three drones in the Kursk, Belgorod and Moscow regions.

Moscow airports briefly halted flights but no major damage or injuries were reported, according to Russian authorities.

Drones aimed at targets inside Russia — and blamed by Moscow on Ukraine — have become almost a daily occurrence as the war has entered its 19th month and Kyiv's forces pursue a counteroffensive.

Recently, the drones have reached deeper into Russia. Kyiv officials normally neither claim nor deny responsibility for attacks on Russian soil.

The apparent Ukrainian strategy is to unnerve Russia and pile pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Associated Press was unable to determine whether the drones are launched from Ukraine or inside Russia. Meanwhile, satellite images analyzed by AP show that suspected Ukrainian drone attacks late Tuesday destroyed at least two Ilyushin Il-76 military transport planes at a Russian air base.

The images taken Thursday show Princess Olga Pskov International Airport, which is a dual military-civilian airport about 700 kilometres (400 miles) north of the Ukrainian border and near Estonia and Latvia.

The four-engine Il-76 is the workhorse of the Russian military's airlift capacity, able to land and take off in rugged conditions. The Russian military is believed to have over 100 of them in its fleet.

The AP analysis, conducted Friday, showed what appeared to the blackened hulks of two Il-76s on separate parking pads on the air base's apron.

One included the plane's tail, the other appeared to show pieces of another aircraft. Fire damage could be seen around the pad. Eleven other Il-76s had been moved off their parking pads into different positions on the airport's taxiways, possibly in an attempt to make it more difficult for them to be struck again.

One was on the runway itself. Another Il-76 remained on the pad, though it wasn't clear why. Local reports said Ukrainian drone attacks on the air base had damaged four Il-76s.

The satellite image was taken at 1303 GMT Thursday. Videos on social media Thursday night showed anti-aircraft fire going around the air base again, though it remained unclear whether it was another attack.

The air base at Pskov was initially targeted on Tuesday night, but cloud cover prevented satellites from getting an unobstructed picture.

Putin, Erdogan will meet amid efforts to repair Ukraine grain deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday, the Kremlin announced Friday, just over six weeks after Moscow broke off a deal partly brokered by Ankara that allowed Ukrainian grain to reach world markets despite the 18-month war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the talks Friday, ending weeks of speculation about when and where the two leaders might meet next as international efforts continue to patch up the Black Sea Grain Initiative which got grain and other food to Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat. (AP)