Massive Ukraine drone strikes hit Russian planes and other targets

 ISW:

Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed four Russian Il-76 planes during a drone strike on a Russian airfield in Pskov Oblast on the night of August 29 to 30. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Representative Andriy Yusov stated that the drone strike destroyed four Russian Il-76 planes and possibly damaged two other planes at the Pskov airfield but did not comment on the nature of the strike or claim responsibility for it.[1] Geolocated footage and Russian sources confirmed the strike and the destruction of at least two Russian Il-76 planes.[2] Russian milbloggers claimed that over 21 Ukrainian drones struck the Pskov airfield.[3] Russian sources, including the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), claimed that Russian air defenses and electronic warfare (EW) systems also downed Ukrainian drones over Oryol, Tula, Voronezh, Ryazan, Kaluga, Bryansk, and Moscow oblasts.[4] Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated that Russian air defenses repelled a massive Ukrainian drone strike on the Central Federal Okrug (a large administrative area including Moscow but not Pskov) and that at least one of the drones was headed toward Moscow, possibly suggesting that Russian authorities may have initially believed that Ukrainian forces intended to strike Moscow or the region around it.[5] Russian forces may have focused their air defenses on covering Moscow and somehow missed the unusually large number of Ukrainian drones that reportedly struck the Pskov airfield. The Ukrainian drones that Russian air defenses downed over the six other oblasts were likely en route to Moscow or Pskov Oblast and likely were not part of a Ukrainian effort to strike targets in the other oblasts.

Russian propagandists and milbloggers criticized Russian forces for their inability to defend Russian territory and military facilities, while simultaneously criticizing recent Russian MoD censorship efforts. A Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger claimed that the Ukrainian strike on the Peskov airfield indicates that Russian air defenses have not adapted to defend against repeated Ukrainian drone strikes, in contrast with how Russian air defenses in Crimea have adapted.[6] The milblogger also criticized Russian authorities for not keeping expensive military aircraft in hangars.[7] Another prominent Russian milblogger expressed concern that there will be no safe places in western Russia due to Ukraine’s growing technical capabilities and suggested that Russian forces need to take this into account when securing military and strategic facilities.[8] Still, another milblogger noted that the requirement for Russian authorities to secure and defend Russian airfields is at a “qualitatively different level” from what it had been.[9] Russian sources also challenged the Russian MoD’s recent censorship efforts by noting the need for truth and honesty in reporting about Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, including one Russian milblogger who criticized official Russian television channels for not reporting the Ukrainian strikes.[10] Prominent Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov expressed his outrage in response to the drone strike and criticized Russian elites who are calling on the Kremlin to freeze the war in Ukraine and negotiate to save Russia’s economy.[11]
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Russian air defense systems appear inadequate in dealing with the drone strikes.  Ukraine is also increasing the drone attacks creating an even greater challenge for the Russian air defense systems.

See, also:

Biggest drone attack on Russia, Crimea reported

And: 

 Ukraine uses flat-pack drones to strike Russian military planes

A cardboard drone that its makers claim is easier to build than an Ikea flatpack has reportedly destroyed at least four Russian planes.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said a Mig-29 and four Su-30 fighter jets were hit during an attack last weekend on Kursk airfield in western Russia.

Two Pantsir missile launchers and the radar of an S-300 air defence system were also thought to have been damaged in the strike.

An unnamed SBU officer said 16 drones had been launched at the target. Three were shot down in the attack which was acknowledged by Russia’s defence ministry.
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These drones are winged with a propellor on the front and are relatively inexpensive costing about $3,500 each.  There is a picture at the link above.  They hit six Russian bases on Tuesday.

And:

Russian planes keep getting blown up in airfields hundreds of miles from the fighting, exposing embarrassing gaps in its defenses

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Military analysts told The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine has likely disabled more Russian aircraft while they were sitting in bases than it had in live combat. It is a situation that will likely prove embarrassing for one of the world's foremost military powers.
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The drones may have some stealthy coatings which makes it hard for Russian radar to pick them out.

And:

 Ukraine versus Russia in drone arms race — expert interview

And:

 Russia and Ukraine are filling the sky with drones. There are so many buzzing around over eastern Ukraine, they're actually crashing into one another: report

And:

 Ukraine launches strikes on Russian territory in 'clever' move against Putin forces: expert

And:

 Ukraine Using Land Attack Variant Of Neptune Anti-Ship Missile

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On Aug. 23, Kyiv used a modified Neptune anti-ship cruise missile to hit a Russian S-400 air defense system on the western most part of the occupied peninsula, a Ukrainian defense official told The War Zone. There are plans, the official added, to eventually strike Moscow and other targets inside Russia - precluded for use by donated weapons - with land attack variants of the Neptune.
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And:

 An elite team of Ukrainian snipers dubbed 'Devils and Angels' is taking out top Russian commanders to demoralize troops: 'We work quietly, we are invisible'

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"If you're assembling to attack and your lieutenant is picked off, the unit goes into disarray," military historian and retired Army Major General Robert Scales told the Journal. Even killing the leader of a small unit can "completely discombobulate the unit," he added.
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And:

 Hundreds of Russian soldiers are going AWOL and refusing to fight as morale plummets, UK intelligence says

Almost 100 Russian soldiers are convicted every week for refusing to fight in Ukraine, UK intelligence said Wednesday, part of a broader manpower crisis in the Russian military.
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The UK Ministry of Defence said "the high rate of convictions demonstrates the poor state of morale in the Russian Army and the reluctance of some elements to fight."

It pointed to a wider struggle for Russia to motivate people to fight in Ukraine. On Tuesday, British officials noted that Russia was struggling to recruit despite more than doubling pay for some ranks in its military, making it one of the most lucrative careers in Russia.

But the high fatality rates on the front lines make signing up a risky decision, which many try hard to avoid.
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And:

 Ukraine's Kharkiv builds classrooms underground to protect students from missiles

And:

 Russia earns less from oil and spends more on war. So far, sanctions are working like a slow poison

And:

 Police receive over 93,000 reports of sexual violence committed by Russians