Ukraine Destroys 40 Russian Warplanes in Drone Strike
Ukraine’s Security Service has confirmed a bold and highly coordinated drone strike deep inside Russian territory that destroyed over 40 military aircraft. The rare cross-border operation, described as one of Kyiv’s most complex to date, came just hours before renewed peace talks were set to begin in Istanbul.
A Ukrainian military official, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, revealed that the covert strike took more than 18 months to plan and execute. The official said the campaign was overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and involved smuggling first-person view (FPV) drones into Russia, where they were hidden in mobile wooden shelters mounted on trucks.
“At the right moment, the roofs of these mobile houses opened remotely and released the drones toward their targets,” the official explained.
The drones struck five Russian airfields, damaging or destroying 41 aircraft including long-range Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers, as well as A-50 airborne early warning planes, according to the source. These aircraft are central to Russia’s missile campaigns against Ukraine. Video footage shared on Russian social media showed drones launching from roadside containers while soldiers scrambled to stop them.
Ukraine codenamed the operation “Web”, which its security service claimed wiped out 34% of Russia’s long-range bomber fleet. The estimated damage stands at $7 billion, though the figures have not been independently verified.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed the attacks, noting damage and fires at airbases in the Irkutsk and Murmansk regions—both thousands of kilometres from Ukraine. It added that additional strikes were repelled in the Amur, Ivanovo, and Ryazan regions.
Meanwhile, Russia escalated its offensive, launching 472 drones—the highest number since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022—along with seven missiles. Ukraine’s air force reported at least 12 soldiers killed and over 60 injured when a Russian missile struck a training unit far from the front lines.
Following the deadly strike, General Mykhailo Drapatyi, a key Ukrainian commander credited with gains in the east, resigned on Sunday.
In a separate development, Russia’s military said it had seized the village of Oleksiivka in northern Ukraine’s Sumy region, prompting fresh evacuation orders in 11 settlements. Ukraine’s top commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed Russia’s offensive is intensifying in Donetsk and along the northern border.
Despite the intensifying conflict, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will attend new direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov leading the delegation. Kyiv has demanded that Moscow present a formal memorandum outlining its position on ending the war.
On the same day, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that two train derailments and bridge collapses killed seven and injured dozens in western Russia, though the cause remains unclear after “explosions” were later removed from the official statement.
The conflict shows no sign of slowing as both sides escalate attacks even while preparing to sit down for talks.
