Ukraine says it struck Russian airfield near Luhansk

PHOTO CAPTION: A view shows a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is being fired in an undisclosed location, in Ukraine in this still image obtained from an undated social media video uploaded on June 24, 2022 via Pavlo Narozhnyy/via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Ukraine's forces made successful overnight strikes on Russian airfields and equipment near the cities of Luhansk and Berdiansk in territory controlled by Russian forces, Ukraine's military said on Tuesday.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine made well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields and helicopters near the temporarily occupied Luhansk and Berdiansk," the Ukrainian military's communication department said on the Telegram messaging app.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in parts of the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Moscow in Ukraine's southeast, said, however, that the strikes on Berdiansk were not successful.

"According to preliminary information, our air defence system successfully intercepted enemy rockets," Rogov said on the Telegram. "Information about victims and possible damage is being clarified."

Berdiansk is a port city in Zaporizhzhia on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, which is connected to the Black Sea.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Moscow.

Since the start of its counteroffensive in June, Ukraine has made frequent air attacks on Russia-controlled territory, aiming to destroy military equipment and undermine Moscow's war efforts.



(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; editing by Robert Birsel)