Russia claimed on Tuesday to have destroyed or damaged five Ukrainian military jets in a strike on an air base, as Kyiv prepares for the arrival of long-awaited F-16 fighters.
Russia鈥檚 defence ministry said it fired Iskander-M missiles at an air base near the central Ukrainian city of Myrgorod, around 150 kilometres from the Russian border.
鈥楢s a result of the Russian army strike, five operational SU-27 multirole fighters were destroyed, and two that were under repair were damaged,鈥� it said in a statement on Telegram.
The ministry also published footage of what it said was the strike and its aftermath, showing grey smoke billowing at the airfield, where some parked planes were visible, and charred black earth.
AFP could not immediately verify the footage or the claims.
Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers previously reported the strike on Monday.
Ukraine鈥檚 air force declined to comment when asked by AFP about Russia鈥檚 claims.
In a social media post, air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said: 鈥楿krainian aircraft continue to successfully carry out combat missions, conduct missile and bomb attacks on the positions of the occupiers and eliminate important military facilities.鈥�
He posted footage of what he said was a Ukrainian attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea, the peninsula Russia annexed in 2014, carried out on Monday.
But Ukrainian military bloggers and analysts said Kyiv had suffered equipment losses in Myrgorod, with some angry at commanders for parking the planes in the open without sufficient protection.
Kyiv hopes the arrival of Western F-16 fighters will enable it to better protect itself from Russian bombardment.
Ukraine has been calling for the US-made jets since the start of the conflict.
Several NATO countries have pledged to supply them and have been training Ukrainian pilots and crews for months.
The first deliveries, including from the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark are expected to arrive in the country imminently.
But recent strikes on Ukrainian airfields have raised questions about Kyiv鈥檚 ability to protect the multi-million-dollar planes from Russian fire.
鈥楢s Ukraine waits for the F-16s, the question of ensuring their safety on the ground remains,鈥� the Ukraine-based Defence Express think tank said Tuesday.
Russia has promised to target and destroy F-16s, along with all other Western military hardware shipped to Kyiv.
Ukraine has not said where it will base the F-16s.