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Moscow has reportedly accused the United States and Poland of being involved in preparing attacks on Russian territory after Ukraine launched drone strikes inside Russia this month.

An unnamed source at a Russian security agency told TASS on Friday that data from intercepted drones show the involvement of both countries in plans to launch attacks.

"Relevant agencies of the Russian Federation analyzed electronic components of the intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs], used by Ukraine for attacks on Russian infrastructure objects—in particular, in Sevastopol, in Crimea, in Kursk, Belgorod and Voronezh regions," the source told TASS, a Russian state-owned news agency. Newsweek has been unable to independently verify the claims.

Ukraine launched drone strikes inside Russia more than a week ago, including one that struck an oil tanker on an airfield in Kursk. The Kursk region borders Ukraine, but attacks were also carried out much farther inside Russia.

Russia officials said there were two explosions—one at the Engels airfield in the Saratov region, which is about 373 miles from Ukraine, and another involving an engulfed fuel truck at the Dyagilevo airfield near the city of Ryazan, which is about 127 miles southeast of Moscow. A facility in the Bryansk region, about 50 miles inside Russia's border with Ukraine, was also targeted.

The source claimed on Friday that assessments by the Russia agency revealed "the direct involvement of the U.S. and Poland in the massive military-logistical support of the Kiev regime, in preparation and implementation of joint terror attacks on the Russian Federation territory.

"The avionics and drone control stations were produced by US' Spektreworks, a company that performed the initial tuning and check of the drones at the Scottsdale airport in Arizona."

The source also said that Russian security agencies pointed out that the final assembly and flight trials of the drones were conducted on Polish territory, near the Rzeszow airport, which Moscow claims is used by the U.S. and NATO as the main supply point for Ukrainian forces.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Newsweek on December 6 that the United States is not encouraging Ukraine to launch attacks beyond its territories.

"President Biden has made it very clear: We are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders," the spokesperson said. "We do not know when this war will be over, but we know this: Ukraine will emerge victorious. And the United States will continue to stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

Russia's defense ministry has accused Ukraine of using Soviet-era drones in the attacks in Russia, which were meant "to disable Russian long-range aircraft." Some experts have said the drones referred to are Tu-141s, which were developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s.

Though Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for the strikes, it has celebrated them. A senior Ukrainian official recently told ABC News that Ukrainian special forces were deep inside Russian territory and helped guide drones to at least one of the bases hit.

During a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on November 29 in Bucharest, Romania, Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs encouraged Kyiv to hit Russian territory, saying that Ukraine should be able to militarily attack inside Russia's border because Russia targeted critical Ukrainian infrastructure.

"We should allow Ukrainians to use weapons to target missile sites or airfields from where those operations are being launched," Rinkēvičs told Bloomberg.

The Russian Embassy in Riga, Latvia, expressed discontent with Rinkēvičs' remarks at the time, describing them as an "incitement to unleash a large-scale war."

Russia launched numerous missile attacks in Ukraine in recent weeks, causing power outages as some hit energy facilities. Missiles also targeted critical infrastructure near the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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