PSKOV, Russia -- On the night of August 29, a series of explosions were heard at Pskov airport. It later emerged that four Il-76 military transport aircraft were damaged by reported drone strikes. At least two of the aircraft were destroyed.
The Pskov region lies alongside NATO countries Estonia and Latvia, and Russian ally Belarus. Ukraine is some 700 kilometers away.
Russian authorities have claimed the drones were Ukrainian. Kyiv acknowledged to reporters they were aware Russian planes had been destroyed in Pskov, without commenting on the nature of their destruction.
Police are stationed near the Pskov airport on August 30.
The explosions were heard just before midnight on August 29. For several hours afterward, Pskov locals watched the glow of large fires at the airfield and heard the sounds of shooting. The next day police were stationed around the entire airport perimeter.
Pskov's airfield is used by both civilian and military aviation, including aircraft that have been directly involved in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Paratroopers based in Pskov took part in the notorious 2022 occupation of Ukraine's Bucha -- a byword for the brutality of the Russian invasion.
Civilian aircraft from Pskov fly routes to Minsk, Moscow, Kaliningrad, and the southern city of Mineralnye Vody. The last flight before the 23:40 attacks left at 21:23 on August 29 to Moscow. The next day all flights were cancelled.
Pskov airport is 15 minutes drive from the historic Pskov Kremlin.
A billboard in Pskov features the Virgin Mary with an entreaty, "May the owner of the heavens save Russian lands."
Life in the neighborhood next to the airport seems to be carrying on largely unchanged after the drama of the night before.
Yelena is sitting at the entrance to her grocery store. She slowly stands up to sell sparkling water. The room-temperature water stands on the counter, unlike the beer, which completely fills the refrigerator.
Yelena didn’t hear the attacks. "I don't live here, I'm a little further away," the saleswoman said, "the next morning my son called and told me about it. Well, it happened and now it's over. The authorities say they've cleaned things up in there and everything is already back to normal."
When asked if she feared more attacks may take place, Yelena responded, "Well, everything has been cordoned off here, the police are everywhere, cars are inspected if the number plates aren't local. My son [with St. Petersburg plates] told me that he was checked. But I'm not at all afraid," she said. "I will continue to work like I always have."
A fence near Pskov airport warning of an “angry dog” inside.
A policeman walking near the airport perimeter assures me that flights will soon resume. "Tomorrow everything will open, don't worry, fly wherever you want!" he said.
Next to his post is the gas station Gazpromneft. A worker inside named Marina says colleagues who were on duty during the night attacks were allowed to go home. "I think that's what [those behind the attack] wanted, to scare us," she said.
"To this end, they terrorize, that's the goal. But we've been told it's all over, all the damage has been removed. I think that our guys won't get caught off-guard like that a second time."
"What does it matter?” Marina responded, when asked who she thinks may be behind the attack. "They all benefit, whether it was Ukraine or the Baltic countries, they all have one decision-making center," she said.
A social media post warns Pskov locals not to share images of the August 29 attack.
Auto mechanic Vasily, whose workshop is located on a highway, where the police are on duty, doesn't rule out the theory that drones could have been launched from the nearby Baltic countries.
"It's like with a homeless man: at first he just wanders around, then he starts yelling, hassling passersby, and then, when he becomes totally insolent he can start a fight," Vasily said. "But one punch to the face is enough to calm him down. In this case, the bum happens to be a NATO country."
The mechanic lives far from his auto-repair shop near the airport, and did not hear the nighttime explosions. "I did wake up, but only because the cars outside my place began to honk," he said.
The edges of Pskov airfield
A resident of a house just a kilometer from the airport asked to be identified with the pseudonym "Olga." She has little faith in the security teams of the airport and believes those tasked with guarding the site could have let a sabotage group slip into the airport grounds.
"At first there was no shooting," the woman said, "no air defenses operating. There were three explosions, then, after some time, a fourth. I firmly believe it was sabotage from the ground. Then, in order to cover it up, the airport security began to shoot into the air. After all, not a single drone from those allegedly shot down showed up anywhere."
RFE/RL's North.Realities has not seen photos of the wreckage of the numerous reported UAVs, nor did videos capture any of the drones flying over Pskov.
"I immediately checked the [local social-media group] where people started to upload videos and photos. Then the moderators of the group stopped allowing posts," Olga said.
A Russian Il-76 military transport plane
Mikhail and Dima, two young builders in Pskov, hold Vladimir Putin ultimately responsible for the attack.
"I think our shining star is to blame," Dima said, referring acidly to the Russian president. "If he hadn't started the war, this [attack on the airfield] would never have happened. And now what? The economy has collapsed, everyone in the country has been crushed, people have been imprisoned. I used to go to rallies too, but now there are no more protests.
"I used to earn 150,000-200,000 rubles ($1,540 - $2,080) a month, but this year it wasn’t anything like that. I’m an entrepreneur, and of course, [the authorities] got sick of it, they don't let me just work, there are masses of restrictions, the bureaucracy is tightening," Dima said.
"I don't understand what they are doing here," the builder nods at a policeman who is standing and tearing leaves from a tree. "Morons!" he said, "and the whole system is like this, it's designed to contain morons. If you're not a moron, then you’re a thief."
Dima believes that the war with Ukraine will end within a year or two.
"Ukraine will return some territories, and then negotiations will begin. This is a war to destroy the economy, and it's already ruined.
"Most of all, I feel sorry for the guys who are there," Dima said, "soldiers from both sides, and civilians. A slaughter, all because of one maniac."