KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A significant Ukrainian drone attack has reportedly destroyed over 40 Russian aircraft within Russia's territory, according to a statement from Ukraine's Security Service on Sunday. The assault occurred just hours before a new round of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia scheduled to take place in Istanbul.
A military official, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed to The Associated Press that orchestrating the intricate attack took over a year and a half, under the direct supervision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In an evening address, Zelenskyy announced that 117 drones were utilized in the operation, which was allegedly coordinated from an office located near the local FSB headquarters, Russia's intelligence and security service.
The operation, codenamed "Web," was described as "extremely complex." It involved smuggling first-person view (FPV) drones into Russia, where they were hidden within mobile wooden houses. The drones were concealed under the roofs of these structures, placed on trucks. When the moment was ripe, the roofs were remotely opened, allowing the drones to take flight towards their targets — Russian bombers.
Social media footage shared by Russian outlets indicated that drones emerged from inside containers, with discarded panels littering the road. One clip seemingly captured men attempting to ascend a truck to intercept the drones. According to the military source, the drones targeted 41 aircraft located at military airfields, including A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22M models. These aircraft have been utilized by Moscow to launch missiles at Ukraine, while A-50s play a crucial role in coordinating airstrikes and detecting missile threats.
The Ukrainian Security Service claimed that Operation Web had crippled 34% of Russia’s air missile carrier fleet, with damages estimated at approximately $7 billion, although this claim could not be independently confirmed. In response, Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged the drone strikes, reporting damage to aircraft and fires at air bases in the Irkutsk region, situated more than 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine, as well as in Murmansk in the north. Additionally, they claimed strikes were thwarted in the Amur region in the Far East and the western regions of Ivanovo and Ryazan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was briefed on the situation during a visit to Nellis Air Force Base and was actively monitoring developments; senior defense officials expressed concern that the U.S. was not informed prior to the attack. They noted that the level of sophistication exhibited in the operation was unprecedented.
Simultaneously, Russia's top investigative body reported incidents involving explosions that led to the collapse of two bridges and the derailment of two trains in western Russia overnight, resulting in seven fatalities and numerous injuries. Russian officials refrained from disclosing the cause of the blasts, later omitting the term "explosions" from an Investigative Committee release.
The drone attack coincided with Zelenskyy's announcement regarding Ukraine's delegation to Istanbul for peace talks with Russia. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian side. Zelenskyy asserted, "We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state, and our people." Ukrainian officials previously urged the Kremlin to share a memorandum outlining its position on ending the conflict before the meeting, to which Moscow responded that it would provide its memorandum during the talks.
In a related development, Russia launched its most extensive drone assault so far, deploying 472 drones against Ukraine, accompanied by seven missiles, according to Ukraine's air force. Yuriy Ignat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, reported that at least 12 Ukrainian service members lost their lives, and over 60 were injured from a Russian missile strike on an army training unit. Following this attack, Ukrainian army commander Mykhailo Drapatyi resigned; he had been a respected figure credited with Ukraine’s territorial gains on the eastern front since the counteroffensive launched in 2022.
The training unit was situated behind the active 1,000-kilometer front line, where Russian reconnaissance and strike drones can effectively target Ukrainian forces. With limited manpower, Ukraine’s military maintains extra caution to prevent mass troop assemblies as Russian drones continue to probe for viable targets amidst heightened aerial activity along the front lines.
