At the Vienna military security and arms control talks, on Thursday, Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of the Russian delegation noted that NATO had prior knowledge of the recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian military airfields in the Saratov and Ryazan region.

Gavrilov stated that "NATO was aware of the preparations for the latest Ukrainian attacks on the Russian military airfields," adding that "we gave them an immediate response with a massive strike on the military command and control system, defense complex facilities and related energy facilities in Ukraine."

The envoy also stressed that such responses will reoccur, without doubt, "every time if acts of Ukrainian terrorism continue."

Kiev launches drone attack on Russian airfields

On December 5, Ukraine launched an attack on Russian military airfields in the Saratov and Ryazan regions using Soviet-made jet drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"On the morning of December 5, the Kiev regime, in order to disable Russian long-range aircraft, attempted to strike with Soviet-made jet unmanned aerial vehicles at the military airfields Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region and Engels in the Saratov region," the Defense Ministry said.

Russia said the drones were flying at low altitude when the air defenses of the Russian Aerospace Forces intercepted them.

"As a result of the fall and explosion of fragments of jet drones at Russian airfields, the hull skin of two aircraft was slightly damaged," the statement says.

By the wreckage of the Ukrainian drones, Moscow said, three Russian technical servicemen who were at the airfield were critically injured and died in the aftermath, with four more sustaining wounds of varying seriousness before they were taken to medical facilities where they received the necessary medical care.

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