Russia says it downed nearly 300 drones from Ukraine
Russia's defense ministry says it has repelled nearly 300 drones launched by Ukraine.
The ministry says a total of 296 unmanned aerial vehicles were downed over Moscow, the western region of Bryansk and elsewhere from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning.
A Russian news agency said no casualties were reported in the capital, but flights were temporarily restricted at airports.
Ukraine was attacked with 355 drones by Russia from Sunday night through Monday. The number is believed to be the largest since Moscow began its invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media on Tuesday that Ukraine plans to increase the production of drones and missiles.
He wrote that his country will "respond symmetrically to all Russian threats." He added that the Russians "must feel the consequences of what they are doing against Ukraine."
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The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Ukraine destroys 40 aircraft deep inside Russia ahead of peace talks in Istanbul
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- A Ukrainian drone attack has destroyed more than 40 Russian planes deep in Russia's territory, Ukraine's Security Service said on Sunday, while Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones just hours before a new round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. A military official, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to disclose operational details, said the far-reaching attack took more than a year and a half to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In his evening address, Zelenskyy said that 117 drones had been used in the operation. He claimed the operation had been headquartered out of an office next to the local FSB headquarters. The FSB is the Russian intelligence and security service. The military source said it was an "extremely complex" operation, involving the smuggling of first-person view, or FPV, drones to Russia, where they were then placed in mobile wooden houses. "Later, drones were hidden under the roofs of these houses while already placed on trucks. At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers," the source said. Social media footage shared by Russian media appeared to show the drones rising from inside containers while other panels lay discarded on the road. One clip appeared to show men climbing onto a truck in an attempt to halt the drones. Long-range bombers targeted The drones hit 41 planes stationed at military airfields on Sunday afternoon, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M aircraft, the official said. Moscow has previously used Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers to launch missiles at Ukraine, while A-50s are used to coordinate targets and detect air defenses and guided missiles. The Security Service of Ukraine said that the operation, which it codenamed "Web", had destroyed 34% of Russia's fleet of air missile carriers with damages estimated at $7 billion. The claim could not be independently verified. Russia's Defense Ministry in a statement confirmed the attacks, which damaged aircraft and sparked fires on air bases in the Irkutsk region, more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine, as well as the Murmansk region in the north, it said. Strikes were also repelled in the Amur region in Russia's Far East and in the western regions of Ivanovo and Ryazan, the ministry said. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was briefed on Ukraine's attack Russia during a stop at Nellis Air Force Base and was monitoring the situation. A senior defense official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters that the U.S. was not given notification before the attack. The official said it represented a level of sophistication the U.S. had not seen before. Also on Sunday, Russia's top investigative body said that explosions had caused two bridges to collapse and derailed two trains in western Russia overnight, killing seven in one of the incidents and injuring dozens more. Russian officials, however, did not say what had caused the blasts and the word "explosions" was later removed from an Investigative Committee press release. Attack ahead of talks The drone attack came the same day as Zelenskyy 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, Zelenskyy said that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation. "We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people," Zelenskyy 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. Russian strike hits an army unit 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 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 Sunday 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 counteroffensive. The training unit was located to the rear of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) active front line, where Russian reconnaissance and strike drones are able to strike. Ukraine's forces lack troops and take extra precautions to avoid mass gatherings as the skies across the front line are saturated with Russian drones looking for targets.
Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Ukraine drone strikes hit nuclear bombers deep inside Russia
Ukraine staged a dramatic series of strikes across Russia, deploying drones hidden in trucks deep inside the country to hit strategic airfields as far away as eastern Siberia. Around the same time, Moscow launched one of its longest drone and missile attacks against Kyiv, escalating tensions ahead of crucial peace talks this week. More than 40 Russian aircraft, including the Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3 long-range bombers capable of deploying conventional and nuclear weapons as well as the A-50, are reported to have been damaged in the operation on Sunday, an official in Ukraine's Security Service said on condition of anonymity as the details are not public. Ukraine's Security Service chief Vasyl Malyuk led the operation and losses are assessed to be at least $2 billion, the person said. Drones were released remotely from wooden mobile houses that were transported on trucks inside Russian territory, according to the official. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed details of the operation, saying it was "one year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution.' He added, "Our most long-range operation. Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time.' In a separate post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine used 117 drones with people operating inside Russia across three time zones, adding that "34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the airfields were hit.' Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed in a Telegram statement that attacks occurred at five military airbases across the nation from the Far East and eastern Siberia to locations just several hundred miles from Moscow. Authorities claimed, however, that only "a few aircraft units' were damaged at two military bases in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions. The attacks "were repelled at the Ivanovo, Ryazan and the Amur regions,' the ministry said. Neither side's claims coulc be independently verified. Earlier on Sunday, Ukraine came under one of the longest barrages from Russian missiles and drones, with air sirens lasting for more then 9 hours. At least 12 people were killed in a strike on a military training center, prompting Ukraine Ground Forces Commander Mykhaylo Drapatyi to announce his decision to resign due to the casualties. The incidents occurred just as Moscow and Kyiv prepare to send delegations to Turkey for a second round of peace talks on Monday. The opening round on May 16 — the first in more than three years — ended with a prisoner exchange agreement and discussions on a potential ceasefire. So far, Russia has not signaled if the attacks may affect the talks. Head of the Ukraine's Security Service Vasyl Maliuk looks at a map of an airfield in this handout picture released June 1. | Press service of the Security Service of Ukraine / via REUTERS Zelenskyy on Sunday confirmed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead a delegation to Istanbul to discuss issues including a full and unconditional ceasefire, release of prisoners and the return of abducted children. The delegations should also discuss the prospects of a high-level meeting as key issues can only be resolved by leaders, Zelenskyy added. Separately, Russia's main investigating authority on Sunday initiated criminal probes after two bridges blew up in regions bordering Ukraine, crushing passing trains that caused at least seven fatalities and widespread injury. Authorities have classified the incidents as "terrorist attacks,' the country's Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in comments broadcast by state TV channel Rossiya 24. A section of the road bridge in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, struck a passenger train en route to Moscow shortly before midnight on Saturday, the regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a Telegram post. The number of injured stands at over 70, he said. Hours later, a similar incident occurred in Kursk, which also borders Ukraine. There a railway bridge collapsed as a freight train was passing, Governor Alexander Khinshtein said. The engine crew was hospitalized. It's unclear whether there is a connection between the two. Russia's government, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, has been notified of the two incidents, state news agency Tass reported, citing Transportation Ministry head Roman Starovoit. Ukraine has so far made no official comment on the bridge incidents. However, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Propaganda, said on Sunday the Kremlin may be "preparing the ground for disruption of the talks,' adding it's not the first time Russia conducts "false-flag' attacks. "Ukraine has no motive to disrupt the Istanbul summit. On the contrary, Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire long ago,' Kovalenko said in a Telegram post. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Military Intelligence Service said a military train exploded in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partially occupied by Russia, without giving details on how the blast occurred. The explosion disrupted logistics between the area and the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, the service said.
Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Ukraine strikes Russian airfields in long-range drone assault
The Ukrainian secret service said the video in this grab showed aircraft on fire on Belaya air base in eastern Siberia Ukraine said Sunday it destroyed Russian bombers worth billions of dollars as far away as Siberia, in its longest-range assault of the war as it geared up for talks on prospects for a ceasefire. In a spectacular claim, Ukraine said it damaged $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft parked at four airbases thousands of kilometers away, with unverified video footage showing aircraft engulfed in flames and black smoke. A source in the Ukrainian security services (SBU) said the strikes hit 41 planes that were used to "bomb Ukrainian villages". The drones were concealed in the ceilings of transportation containers which were opened up to release them for the assault, the source added. The long-planned operation came at a delicate moment three years into Russia's invasion. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he was sending a delegation to Istanbul led by his Defense Minister Rustem Umerov for talks on Monday with Russian officials. Turkey is hosting the meeting, which was spurred by US President Donald Trump's push for a quick deal to end the three-year war. Zelensky, who previously voiced skepticism about whether Russia was serious in proposing Monday's meeting, said priorities included "a complete and unconditional ceasefire" and the return of prisoners and abducted children. Russia has rejected previous ceasefire demands. It said it has formulated its own peace terms but refused to divulge them in advance. Zelenskyy on Sunday hailed the "brilliant" results of the coordinated attack -- code-named "Spider's Web" -- which he said had used 117 drones and was the country's "most long-range operation" in more than three years of war. Russia's defense ministry confirmed on Telegram that several of its military aircraft "caught fire", adding that there were no casualties. Rybar, an account on the Telegram message platform that is close to the Russian military, called it a "very heavy blow" for Moscow and pointed to what it called "serious errors" by Russian intelligence. The SBU source said strikes targeted Russian airbases in the eastern Siberian city of Belaya, in Olenya, in the Arctic near Finland, and in Ivanovo and Dyagilevo, both east of Moscow. The operation was prepared for over a year and a half, the Ukrainian SBU source said, and aimed to destroy "enemy bombers far from the front". Zelensky said one of the targeted locations was right next to one of the offices of the Russian security services (FSB). Russia said it had arrested several suspects, including the driver of a truck from which a drone had taken off, state agencies said. Zelenskyy however said that people involved in preparing the attacks were "extracted from Russian territory in time". The SBU claimed in a social media post to have hit Russian military planes worth a combined $7 billion in a "special operation". Igor Kobzev, governor of Russia's Irkutsk region, which hosts the targeted Belaya airbase, said it was "the first attack of this sort in Siberia". He called on the population not to panic and posted an amateur video apparently showing a drone flying in the sky and a large cloud of grey smoke. Russia has been announcing Ukrainian drone attacks on a near-daily basis, usually saying they had all been shot down. At the same time, Russia has been carrying out constant attacks on Ukraine. On Sunday, Ukraine's air force said it was hit by 472 Russian drones and seven missiles overnight -- a record since the beginning of the invasion. In a rare admission of its military losses, the Ukrainian army said Russia's "missile strike on the location of one of the training units" had killed a dozen soldiers, most of whom had been in shelters during the attack, and wounded more than 60. The attack led Ukrainian ground forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty to announce his resignation, saying he felt "responsibility" for the soldiers' deaths. Separately on Sunday, the Russian army said it had captured another village in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, where Kyiv fears Moscow could mount a fresh ground assault. © 2025 AFP
