Ukraine says it carried out its biggest long-range attack on Russia since the war began. The attack happened on Sunday. Drones were used to hit 40 Russian warplanes at four different bases.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said 117 drones were launched. The mission was called “Spider’s Web” by Ukraine’s SBU security service. He said the strikes hit 34% of Russia’s cruise missile Bombers. The SBU told BBC News it took 18 months to plan the attack.
Russia said Ukraine attacked five of its regions. Moscow called it a “terrorist act.”
The attack comes as peace talks are set to begin again. Russian and Ukrainian officials are meeting in Istanbul, Turkey on Monday.
The meeting is expected to start at 13:00 local time (10:00 GMT). It will take place at the Ciragan Palace.
Hopes for progress are low. The two sides still strongly disagree on how to stop the war.
At the same time, Ukraine faced new strikes from Russia. Drones and missiles hit several areas over the weekend.
In Kharkiv, six people were hurt including a seven-year-old child. The strike happened early Monday, said the local governor.
In eastern Russia authorities said they stopped an arson plot. The state news agency Ria said two people tried to damage a railway. They were following Ukraine’s orders, it claimed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin started the full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Right now, Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s land. This includes Crimea, which Russia took in 2014.
Ukraine says its biggest drone strike of the war used hidden launch trucks near Russian airbases. The drones were stored in wooden cabins on trucks with remote-controlled roofs. They were launched “at the right time” to hit Russian bombers.
President Zelensky praised the SBU security team behind the mission. He called the result “brilliant” and said every drone had a pilot. He also revealed the command post for the attack was placed near an office of Russia’s FSB security service.
Zelensky said everyone involved in the mission got out of Russia safely. Ukraine’s SBU estimates Russia’s air force lost about $7 billion in damage. More details will be shared soon.
Four Russian airbases were hit:
- Belaya in Irkutsk (Siberia)
- Olenya in Murmansk (northwest Russia)
- Dyagilevo in Ryazan (central Russia)
- Ivanovo in Ivanovo (central Russia)
Among the aircraft hit were Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers and A-50 radar planes. The SBU called the mission “very complex” and said it took over a year to plan.
First, they smuggled FPV drones into Russia. Later, they brought in the hidden trucks. At launch time, the roof opened, and the drones flew out.
The governor of Irkutsk confirmed drones launched from a truck attacked Belaya base. He said the site is now secure and no one was hurt.
Russian media also showed drones launching from trucks near fuel stations. Fires were reported at airbases in Murmansk and Irkutsk. Russia says the fires were put out and some attackers were caught.
At the same time, Russia hit Ukraine with 472 drones and seven missiles. Ukraine said it shot down 385 of them.
But one strike killed 12 Ukrainian soldiers and injured over 60 at a training base. After that, Ukraine’s land forces commander resigned, saying he felt responsible for the loss.
