Russia warns of providing airfield for Ukraine’s military aviation

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Sunday warned countries neighboring Ukraine against providing military airfields for Ukrainian combat aircraft.

Speaking at a daily press briefing in Moscow, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russia is aware of Ukrainian combat aviation trips to Romania and some other neighboring countries.

He said if any country provides airfields for Ukraine’s military aviation with subsequent use against the Russian armed forces it “may be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict.”

Konashenkov also confirmed that the Vinnytsia airfield of the Ukrainian Air Force was destroyed by high-precision long-range weapons.

He added that three more Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets and three unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down on Sunday.

"In total, yesterday and incomplete today, the Ukrainian Air Force lost 11 combat aircraft and two helicopters. Almost all combat-ready aviation of the Kyiv regime has been destroyed," he said.

The spokesman said defense enterprises, and military equipment maintenance and arms production facilities will be hit by high-precision weapons.

"In order to avoid a threat to the lives of employees of enterprises of the Ukrainian defense industry, we warn in advance about planned strikes on such objects.

"We call on the staff of the Ukrainian defense industry plants not to be led by the Kyiv regime of nationalists and to leave the territories of their enterprises," he said.

Russia has launched a war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, which has been met by an outcry from the international community, with the EU, UK, and US implementing a range of economic sanctions against Moscow.

At least 364 civilians, including 38 children and 42 women, have been killed, and 759 others injured in Ukraine so far, according to UN figures, with the real toll feared to be higher.

More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the latest data by the UN refugee agency showed.