On Sunday, Ukraine announced that its drones had successfully targeted and destroyed Russian bombers valued at billions of dollars, reaching as far as Siberia in what marks the longest-range offensive of the conflict. This development comes as Ukraine prepares for discussions regarding potential ceasefire negotiations.
Ukraine has made a striking assertion, alleging that it inflicted $7 billion in damage to Russian aircraft stationed at four airbases located thousands of kilometres away across the border. Unverified video footage reportedly depicts aircraft consumed by flames and billowing black smoke.
A representative from the Ukrainian Security Services (SBU) reported that the strikes targeted 41 aircraft that had been utilized to conduct bombings on Ukrainian villages.
The source claims that the drones concealed themselves within the ceilings of transportation containers, which they remotely opened to launch the attack.
Negotiations for a ceasefire
The meticulously orchestrated operation took place at a crucial juncture, precisely three years into Russia’s ongoing invasion.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the dispatch of a delegation to Istanbul, headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, for discussions with Russian officials scheduled for Monday.
Turkey is hosting the meeting, which was prompted by US President Donald Trump’s call for a swift resolution to the ongoing three-year conflict.
Zelensky, having expressed doubts regarding Russia’s sincerity in suggesting Monday’s meeting, outlined key priorities that encompass “a complete and unconditional ceasefire” along with the repatriation of prisoners and abducted children.
Russia, having dismissed earlier ceasefire appeals, announced that it had developed its peace conditions but has declined to disclose them ahead of time.
On Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov engaged in a telephone conversation with US counterpart Marco Rubio, focussing on “several initiatives aimed at a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.” This discussion included the upcoming talks scheduled for Monday, as reported by the Russian foreign ministry through the TASS news agency.
‘Spider’s Web’
Zelensky praised the “brilliant” outcomes of the coordinated operation, referred to as “Spider’s Web. “He noted that it involved 117 drones and marked the country’s “most long-range operation” in over three years of conflict.
Russia’s defense ministry has reported via Telegram that multiple military aircraft experienced a fire incident and confirmed that no casualties were reported.
Rybar, a Telegram account affiliated with the Russian military, described the situation as a “hefty blow” for Moscow, highlighting what it termed “serious errors” made by Russian intelligence.
According to a source from the SBU, the recent strikes were aimed at Russian airbases located in the eastern Siberian city of Belaya, Olenya in the Arctic region near Finland, and Ivanovo and Dyagilevo, both situated to the east of Moscow.
According to a source from the SBU, the operation was in the works for more than a year and a half, with the objective of eliminating “enemy bombers far from the front.”
Zelensky reported that one of the locations targeted was adjacent to an office of the FSB, the Russian security services.
‘This marks the inaugural strike on Siberia.’
According to state agencies, Russia has announced the arrest of multiple suspects, including the driver of a truck that served as the launch point for a drone.
Zelensky stated that individuals involved in orchestrating the attacks were “extracted from Russian territory in time.”
Igor Kobzev, the governor of Russia’s Irkutsk region, home to the Belaya airbase, remarked that this incident marks “the first attack of this sort in Siberia.”
The individual urged the public to remain calm while sharing an amateur video that seemingly depicted a drone in the sky alongside a significant plume of grey smoke.
Drone strikes in Russia have become a significant point of discussion and concern in recent times.
Russia has consistently reported Ukrainian drone attacks almost every day, typically claiming that all of these drones have been intercepted and destroyed.
Simultaneously, Russia has been conducting ongoing assaults on Ukraine.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s air force reported being targeted by 472 Russian drones and seven missiles overnight, marking a record high since the onset of the invasion in February 2022.
In an unusual acknowledgement of its military casualties, the Ukrainian army reported that a Russian missile strike targeted a training unit, resulting in the deaths of a dozen soldiers, the majority of whom were in shelters at the time of the attack, leaving over 60 others injured.
In the wake of the attack, Mykhailo Drapaty, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces, announced his resignation, citing a sense of “responsibility” for the deaths of the soldiers.
On Sunday, the Russian army announced the capture of yet another village in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, raising concerns in Kyiv about a potential renewed ground assault by Moscow.
