btw this substack covers this attack well: https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-83023-ukraine-smokescreens

TL,DR: Ukraine did attack pskov field, and the reasons how it happened are:

1. Ukraine uses cardboard as a way to go undetected on radar, its crude but effective.
2. Likely it was smuggled into russia proper, how you may ask? Don't know but either it could be the "anti-putin partisans" or some ukranian agents or could just be some insane people ukraine hired.
3. Pskov airfield never had any military targets, like none at all, there was some planes, but nothing that can damage the war effort in any way. So air defences would be insanely light.

That's how the attack happened, really this is more of a stunt to get russia mad and for some publicity. But really from a practical and technical standpoint, this attack was once again, a useless one. This will be forgotten about in a month or two.

russia's air defense is lacking.

I do have another thought. RT claimed in a story a week ago or so that Ukraine had no working airfields in pristine enough condition to allow them to take-off and recover F-16 fighter jets they were going to be given. The implication being they would have to take off and land from surrounding countries and that would be uh an escalation. If that is true and the facts on the ground don't change (Ukraine getting airfields pristine enough in the far west to service them and dealing with strikes to damage them) then a provocation like this could be a minor test of that type of thing.

If they really are doing this, and Russia really needs to prove it if so. There is a good argument for Russia making good on their threat and letting fly tactical nuclear weapons against these military installations that are participating. The rub of course being that could draw NATO into things directly and may be something they're hoping for to rally people. The flip side being, if they don't and let them walk all over them, cross that line, they'll keep crossing lines forever. The most positive outcome of using such weapons is it could shock the west into backing off. The worst of course is it brings NATO including the western nations and not just the nuclear crumple zone ones in the east, into the fray directly and/or leads to a retaliatory nuclear strike on a Russian installation and spiraling escalation from there.