Russia sending bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the border, general says
MOSCOW, June 8 (Reuters) - Trains with the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers will start moving to the border in an hour, TASS quoted Russia's Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin as saying on Sunday.
He also said there were signals that the transfer of the bodies will be postponed until next week.
On Saturday, Russia said that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Kyiv said Russia's claims were untrue.
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Russia has hidden two of its most valuable warplanes in a remote airbase just days after a stunning Ukrainian drone strike wreaked havoc on its elite bomber fleet. Satellite images have revealed that the pair of supersonic Tu-160 strategic bombers - each carrying a $500million price tag - have been relocated more than 4,000 miles from the warfront to Anadyr, an isolated Cold War-era airfield nestled on the desolate Chukotka Peninsula. The dramatic retreat comes after Ukraine's spy agency, the SBU, pulled off what has been dubbed Operation Spider's Web on June 1. It was a meticulously choreographed drone blitz that reportedly damaged several of Moscow 's rare strategic bombers - aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons and critical to Russia's long-range strike capability. In a slickly produced video released by the SBU, the daring mission was laid bare. 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Despite Kremlin denials, military experts believe the damage is severe. Sources inside Ukraine's SBU security service claimed the operation crippled 34 per cent of Russia's long-range strategic bombers, including the nuclear-capable Tu-95s and Tu-22M3s, often used to launch cruise missiles into Ukraine. These planes, however, are no longer manufactured, and so cannot be replaced. Footage showed decimated enemy planes in flames on the runway and Ukrainian security sources claimed to have taken out 41 aircraft worth some £1.5billion. In drone footage, several Russian planes were seen erupting in a blaze as they soared over the Russian aircrafts. As they continued their journey, the drones blasted the planes stationed ahead, sending them into a ball of fire. Separate images revealed the destruction as plumes of black clouds billowed into the sky behind buildings as the attack was carried out. 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'We can say with confidence that this is an absolutely unique operation,' he said in statement on social media, revealing that 117 drones were used to target bombers 'used to fire at our cities.' 'What's most interesting, is that the 'office' of our operation on Russian territory was located directly next to FSB headquarters in one of their regions,' he added. 'In total, 117 drones were used in the operation, with a corresponding number of drone operators involved, and 34 per cent of the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at air bases were hit. We will continue this work.'
