Ukraine claims major strike on Russian airfields as long-range missiles provided

Ukrainian soldiers are fighting off Russian attacks in Avdiivka (Libkos/AP)

Ukraine claims to have carried out one of the most destructive attacks on Russian air assets since the beginning of the war, as a US official revealed that the longer-range ballistic missiles sought for months by Kyiv had been delivered quietly and are in battlefield use.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russia-occupied regions in a night-time attack on targets in eastern and southern Ukraine.