Ukraine says it completed its biggest long-range attack of the war with Russia on Sunday, after using smuggled drones to launch a series of major strikes on 40 Russian warplanes at four military bases.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said 117 drones were used in the so-called “Spider’s Web” operation by the SBU security service, striking “34% of [Russia’s] strategic cruise missile carriers”. SBU sources told BBC News it took a year-and-a-half to organise the strikes.
Russia confirmed Ukrainian attacks in five regions, calling them a “terrorist act”.
The attacks come as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are heading to Istanbul, Turkey, for a second round of peace talks on Monday.
The talks are expected to start around 13:00 local time (10:00 GMT) at the Ciragan Palace.
Expectations are low, as the two warring sides remain far apart on how to end the war.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported a massive drone and missile attack on its territory over the weekend.
At least six people, including a seven-year-old child, were injured following a strike in Kharkiv in the early hours of Monday, the region’s governor said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the southern Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014.
The SBU estimated the damage to Russia’s strategic aviation was worth about $7bn (£5bn), promising to unveil more details soon.
The Ukrainian claims have not been independently verified.
Sources in the SBU earlier on Sunday told the BBC in a statement that four Russian airbases – two of which are thousands of miles from Ukraine – were hit:
- Belaya in Irkutsk oblast (region), Siberia
- Olenya in Murmansk oblast, Russia’s extreme north-west
- Dyagilevo in central Ryazan oblast
- Ivanovo in central Ivanovo oblast
The SBU sources said that among the hit Russian aircraft were strategic nuclear capable bombers called Tu-95 and Tu-22M3, as well as A-50 early warning warplanes.
They described the whole operation as “extremely complex logistically”.
“The SBU first smuggled FPV drones into Russia, followed later by mobile wooden cabins. Once on Russian territory, the drones were hidden under the roofs of these cabins, which had been placed on cargo vehicles,” the sources said.
“At the right moment, the roofs were remotely opened, and the drones took off to strike the Russian bombers.”
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev confirmed drones that attacked the Belaya military base in Sredniy, Siberia, were launched from a truck.
Kobzev posted on Telegram to say that the launch site had been secured and there was no threat to life.
Russian media outlets have also reported that other attacks were similarly started with drones emerging from the lorries.
BBC
