Ukraine says it destroyed more than 40 military planes in drone attack in Russia
The attack on Sunday came as Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones a day before the two sides meet for a new round of direct talks in Istanbul.
The official said the attack took more than a year and a half to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks deep into Russian territory, he said.
The drones reportedly hit 41 bombers stationed at several airfields, including the Belaya air base in the Russian region of Irkutsk, more than 2,500 miles from Ukraine.
It is the first time that a Ukrainian drone has been seen in the region, local governor Igor Kobzev said.
Russia's Defence Ministry in a statement confirmed the attacks, which spanned five airfields.
The FPV drones damaged aircraft and sparked fires on air bases in Irkutsk as well as Russia's northern Murmansk, it said, while strikes were repelled in the Amur region in Russia's Far East and in the western regions of Ivanovo and Ryazan.
The attack was disclosed on the same day as Mr Zelensky said Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia on Monday.
In a statement on Telegram, Mr Zelensky said that defence minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation.
'We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people,' Mr Zelensky said.
Ukrainian officials had previously called on the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the war before the meeting takes place. Moscow had said it would share its memorandum during the talks.
Russia on Sunday launched the biggest number of drones – 472 – on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's air force said.
Russian forces also launched seven missiles alongside the barrage of drones, said Yuriy Ignat, head of communications for the air force.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukraine's army said at least 12 Ukrainian service members were killed and more than 60 were injured in a Russian missile strike on an army training unit.
Ukrainian army commander Mykhailo Drapatyi later submitted his resignation following the attack.
He was a respected commander whose leadership saw Ukraine regain land on the eastern front for the first time since Kyiv's 2022 counter-offensive.
The training unit was located to the rear of the 620-mile active front line, where Russian reconnaissance and strike drones are able to target.
Ukraine's forces suffer from manpower shortages and take extra precautions to avoid mass gatherings as the skies across the front line are saturated with Russian drones looking for targets.
Russia's Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Oleksiivka in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy. Ukrainian authorities in Sumy ordered mandatory evacuations in 11 more settlements on Saturday as Russian forces make steady gains in the area.
Speaking on Saturday, Ukraine's top army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Russian forces were focusing their main offensive efforts on Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Lyman in the Donetsk region, as well as the Sumy border area.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Putin regime threatens UK with nuclear apocalypse and 'painful' radiation death
Kremlin propagandists Vladdimir Solovyov threatened Brits with "painful" radiation deaths and urged Welsh and Scottish people to declare independence from London before it was too late The Putin regime is mocking Sir Keir Starmer over his "war footing" defence review warning of the Russian threat. The Kremlin's most prominent TV propaganda show warned of nuclear Armageddon facing Britain with 'painful' radiation deaths. And the Kremlin-funded broadcast urged the Scots and Welsh to declare independence from London before it was too late. The Putin broadcast claimed that a 'very pretty' woman standing beside Starmer at his defence review announcement showed - from her expressions - that many Britons doubted his strategy in making the UK 'battle ready' to fight Russia. Leading Putin TV mouthpiece Vladimir Solovyov declared: 'I can't understand why the British have gone mad [with the new UK defence review]. Where do they want to clash with us? At what point? 'Or do they think that we have already landed, entered the Thames somewhere and are now storming Westminster Abbey….? We are moving to combat readiness, said Starmer. 'But considering how he boxes, I'm afraid to even imagine his combat readiness….' Solovyov claimed - offering no evidence - it was the British who had staged clandestine undercover operations against Russia. 'Actually, the attack on Russia's cyber security system was carried out by the British,' he said. 'Then, let me remind you that the water threat [to Russia] came from the British, when they were trying to figure out who Crimea belonged to. 'British reconnaissance aircraft are flying through our airspace.' Solovyov - decorated by Putin for his work as a propagandist - said: 'Most importantly, I would like to say something separately to Starmer.' Then he said, in English: 'Scottish people, you have to fight for your independence.' Reverting to Russian, he told viewers across his country's 11 time zones: 'Scottish brothers, you must fight for your independence. Right? 'These English colonisers have no business on Scottish soil. And when your traitors end up in London and take up positions, chase them away. 'Starmer, you are not Scottish! You are just cattle.' Another propagandist - academic Dr Andrey Sidorov - said the Welsh should break free, too. 'The main thing is to remember that with a little bit of Poseidon [high speed underwater nuclear drone], this problem doesn't exist in principle,' said Solovyov. He frequently advocates using the untested Russian Poseidon unmanned submarine to sink Britain under a tidal wave. Political scientist Dmitry Evstafiev told viewers: 'Back to Starmer - there he is, standing there, with workers behind him, or rather, hired extras pretending to be workers. Well, there are a couple of real workers there, apparently. 'But they understand that if the plan for direct military confrontation with Russia, which he is talking about, is implemented, they will all be dead. Quickly and painfully, because death from radiation is not the best kind of death. 'Well, that is, if you die immediately, if you are at the epicentre, then it's okay. But if you die slowly, well, it's not like in some horror movie. 'It's much worse than that. But there was one person there who clearly understood this, and right behind him was a girl whose face showed a whole range of emotions. 'She was a very pretty girl, and as this man [Starmer] spoke, her face changed quite dramatically. So, in principle, Britain is not hopeless. 'There are a number of people there who understand what Britain…[faces in a war].' Solovyov said Starmer 'has never served in the army - he had no basic military training at school.'
Western Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Healey insists defence funding will rise to 3% target to meet review aims
The Strategic Defence Review recommended sweeping changes, including a greater focus on new technology including drones and artificial intelligence based on rising budgets. The Government has committed to increase spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027 but only has an 'ambition' to reach 3% during the next parliament, which is due to end by around 2034. The authors of the review have suggested reaching that 3% target is vital to delivering their recommendations while US President Donald Trump has pushed for Nato allies to spend 5%. Mr Healey denied he was gambling on economic growth to meet his target, telling BBC Breakfast: 'I'm 100% confident that we'll hit that 3%. 'The important thing for now is what we can do, and we can do now more than we've been able to do before, because of an extra £5 billion the Chancellor has put in to the defence budget this year and the 2.5% that we will deliver three years earlier than anyone expected. 'It means that a £60 billion budget this year will rise throughout this parliament and beyond.' The Ministry of Defence announced a £5 billion investment in the 'kit of the future' following the publication of the review on Monday. The funding includes £4 billion for drones and autonomous systems, and an extra £1 billion for lasers to protect British ships and soldiers. A new era of threat requires a new era for defence. The Strategic Defence Review marks a landmark shift in our deterrence and defence ⬇️ — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 2, 2025 Mr Healey said the investment would provide 'the most significant advance in UK defence technology in decades' and 'ensure our armed forces have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world'. Part of the investment will see the establishment of a new 'drone centre' to accelerate the deployment of the technology by all three branches of the armed forces. The focus on drones comes as the technology has proved increasingly lethal on the battlefield in Ukraine, where it now kills more people than traditional artillery. At a meeting of allied defence ministers in April, Mr Healey said the UK estimated drones were inflicting 70-80% of battlefield casualties, while on Sunday Ukraine launched a major attack on Russian airfields deep behind the front line using a fleet of small drones. In addition to investment in drones and AI, the Government has announced an additional £1 billion for the development of 'directed energy weapons' (DEWs) during the current parliament. This includes the DragonFire laser scheduled to be fitted to the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers from 2027, with a similar system provided for the Army by the end of the decade. DragonFire and other DEWs are intended to provide a lower-cost form of air defence against targets including drones, costing just £10 per shot compared with the thousands of pounds it costs to fire existing weapons.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Healey insists defence funding will rise to 3% target to meet review aims
The Government has committed to increase spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027 but only has an 'ambition' to reach 3% during the next parliament, which is due to end by around 2034. The authors of the review have suggested reaching that 3% target is vital to delivering their recommendations while US President Donald Trump has pushed for Nato allies to spend 5%. Mr Healey denied he was gambling on economic growth to meet his target, telling BBC Breakfast: 'I'm 100% confident that we'll hit that 3%. 'The important thing for now is what we can do, and we can do now more than we've been able to do before, because of an extra £5 billion the Chancellor has put in to the defence budget this year and the 2.5% that we will deliver three years earlier than anyone expected. 'It means that a £60 billion budget this year will rise throughout this parliament and beyond.' The Ministry of Defence announced a £5 billion investment in the 'kit of the future' following the publication of the review on Monday. The funding includes £4 billion for drones and autonomous systems, and an extra £1 billion for lasers to protect British ships and soldiers. A new era of threat requires a new era for defence. The Strategic Defence Review marks a landmark shift in our deterrence and defence ⬇️ — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 2, 2025 Mr Healey said the investment would provide 'the most significant advance in UK defence technology in decades' and 'ensure our armed forces have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world'. Part of the investment will see the establishment of a new 'drone centre' to accelerate the deployment of the technology by all three branches of the armed forces. The focus on drones comes as the technology has proved increasingly lethal on the battlefield in Ukraine, where it now kills more people than traditional artillery. At a meeting of allied defence ministers in April, Mr Healey said the UK estimated drones were inflicting 70-80% of battlefield casualties, while on Sunday Ukraine launched a major attack on Russian airfields deep behind the front line using a fleet of small drones. In addition to investment in drones and AI, the Government has announced an additional £1 billion for the development of 'directed energy weapons' (DEWs) during the current parliament. This includes the DragonFire laser scheduled to be fitted to the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers from 2027, with a similar system provided for the Army by the end of the decade. DragonFire and other DEWs are intended to provide a lower-cost form of air defence against targets including drones, costing just £10 per shot compared with the thousands of pounds it costs to fire existing weapons.
