KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine destroyed more than 40 Russian aircraft in a dramatic and highly coordinated drone strike deep inside Russian territory, officials in Kyiv said Sunday, just hours before a new round of peace talks in Istanbul between the warring nations.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the attack struck multiple Russian military airfields on Sunday afternoon and crippled a key portion of Moscow’s airstrike capabilities. A Ukrainian military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, said the operation took more than 18 months to plan and was personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The operation, codenamed “Web”, involved the covert smuggling of FPV (first-person view) drones into Russia, where they were hidden in mobile wooden shelters and mounted onto trucks disguised as homes. At the chosen moment, the shelters’ roofs were remotely opened and the drones were launched toward their targets.
“These drones were camouflaged until the moment of launch. Once airborne, they targeted high-value aircraft with precision,” said the official.
Social media footage verified by Russian sources showed drones lifting from hidden containers as stunned bystanders attempted to stop them, with some even seen clambering onto the trucks in panic.
The SBU claimed the attack destroyed 41 Russian aircraft, including A-50 radar planes, Tu-95, and Tu-22M long-range bombers—the same types used by Russia to fire missiles at Ukrainian cities. If confirmed, the losses represent 34% of Russia’s long-range missile carrier fleet, with damage estimated at $7 billion.
Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged the strikes, reporting damage and fires at bases in the Irkutsk and Murmansk regions, some 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine. Additional drone attacks were repelled in Amur, Ivanovo, and Ryazan regions, the ministry added.
The dramatic escalation occurred just as President Zelenskyy confirmed a Ukrainian delegation would attend direct talks in Istanbul starting Monday. In a Telegram post, he said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov would lead the team and reiterated Ukraine’s aim to protect its sovereignty and independence.
Ukrainian officials have demanded that Russia present a written memorandum of its peace position ahead of the talks, which the Kremlin has said it will bring to the table in Istanbul.
In retaliation, Russia launched a record-breaking 472 drones and seven missiles into Ukraine on Sunday, according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat. A devastating missile strike hit a Ukrainian army training unit, killing 12 service members and injuring more than 60.
The attack occurred at 12:50 p.m., with no mass gatherings reported at the time. Mykhailo Drapatyi, a highly regarded Ukrainian commander, resigned after the strike. He had been instrumental in leading gains on the eastern front during Ukraine’s 2022 counteroffensive.
Russia also claimed it captured Oleksiivka, a village in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, prompting mandatory evacuations in 11 nearby settlements. Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian troops are focusing their offensive on Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Lyman, and the Sumy border zone.
In western Russia, two bridges collapsed and trains derailed overnight, killing seven people and injuring dozens. Russia’s Investigative Committee initially blamed explosions, but the term was later removed from official statements.
