A Soviet communique says that only isolated planes broke through defence formations of Russian fighters and anti-aircraft fire and reached the city. There were some dozens of dead and wounded. it added.
The latest communique issued by the Soviet Information Board this morning states:
"During Tuesday night, Soviet troops continued stubborn fighting in the directions of Petrozavodsk, Pork-hav, Smolensk and Zhitomir, In other sectors of the front, nothing of importance occurred.
"The Soviet air force continued operations against enemy mechanized units and aerodromes. During Tuesday and Tuesday night, the Soviet Air Force destroyed 30 enemy planes in air combats and set fire to enemy aircraft on their aerodromes. The number is being ascertained. We lost 17 planes."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.