How Ukraine hid drones in mobile homes and blew up nuclear-capable aircraft in Russia
For 18 months, Ukraine's internal security service planned an audacious assault on far-flung Russian airfields – first sneaking drones into Russia, then planting them near key military runways.
Article content
Article content
On Sunday, just ahead of a new round of peace talks, it was go-time: Near four unsuspecting Russian military bases, remotely activated roofs lifted off mobile homes and sheds parked on flatbed trucks. Armed Ukrainian drones tucked inside soared upward, then pounced on military aircraft lined up on the runways, engulfing many in flames.
Article content
The brazen attack – which Ukrainian officials claimed destroyed at least 13 Russian aircraft and damaged dozens of others – shocked Russia and instantly reduced its capabilities to threaten nuclear attack or launch missile strikes on Ukraine and other countries. It also served as a crucial reminder to Moscow and Ukraine's Western partners that Kyiv remains capable of exploiting Russia's weaknesses and disrupting its war plans, despite being outnumbered and outgunned.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Ukraine said the damaged or destroyed planes, some of which were nuclear capable, included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22 M3, and Tu-160 – planes Kyiv said Russia had used nearly every night to bomb Ukraine.
Article content
Many details of how the attack was planned are still not public and it was not immediately clear how many of the Russian planes were operational at the time of the attack.
Article content
Video footage and reactions published on social media showed how in Russia, the drones strikes stirred panic, confusion and then, from pro-war commentators, rage. Governors from several regions, including as far as Siberia, reported the drone attacks. Russian onlookers filmed smoke billowing over the airfields and narrated their shock. Soon, pro-war military bloggers had dubbed the attack 'Russia's Pearl Harbor.'
Article content
Article content
In videos that could not be independently verified by The Post, people who appear to be locals living around the air bases posted videos of drones zooming past them and plumes of billowing black smoke on the horizon. In one video, a woman watches a drone move toward a smoldering air base as her neighbors suggest it might be the 11th to fly by. In another video, a man filmed as several drones flew out of the back of a truck stationed on the side of a highway.
Article content
Article content
A volley of gunfire can be heard in the background as security forces try to shoot the drones down. In another, a young soldier apparently stationed at another air base, posted video of several aircraft burning. Facing the camera, he uses an expletive to describe the scene. Enraged chief Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov later demanded that he be shot for filming the video and called him a 'scumbag.'
Article content
Article content
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, the SBU, the Ukrainian security agency that planned the brazen strikes, publicly took credit for the plan and revealed the operation's code name as Spiderweb. President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly posted photos of himself hugging the agency head, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, in celebration.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Russian drone and missile strikes kill at least 3 in Ukraine in latest attack
Social Sharing Ukrainian officials say a massive Russian drone and missile attack in the eastern city of Kharkiv on Saturday has killed at least three people and injured 21, the latest in nearly daily widespread attacks. The barrage included aerial glide bombs that have become part of a fierce Russian onslaught in the three-year war. The intensity of the Russian attacks over recent weeks, along with Kyiv's recent surprise drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia, appear to be dampening hopes the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. On Saturday, Ukraine's air force said Russia struck with 215 missiles and drones overnight, and Ukrainian air defences shot down and neutralized 87 drones and seven missiles. Several other areas in Ukraine were also hit, including the regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa, and the city of Ternopil, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. "To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine," he said. Russia confirms overnight strikes Later Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed its forces carried out strikes using high-precision long-range weapons and drones on military targets in Ukraine overnight. "The objective of the strikes has been achieved. All designated targets have been hit," the ministry said. Four Ukrainian unmanned boats have also been destroyed in the Black Sea, Russian news agencies reported, citing the ministry. However, there was no comment from Moscow on the reports of casualties in Kharkiv. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the strikes damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 private homes. Terekhov called it "the most powerful attack" on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. WATCH | Tackling a lasting impact of the war: Rebuilding the faces of Ukraine's war 2 days ago Duration 3:53 Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said two districts in the city were struck with three missiles, five aerial glide bombs and 48 drones. Among the injured were a baby boy and a 14-year-old girl, he added. In the Dnipropetrovsk province further south, two women ages 45 and 88 were injured, according to local Gov. Serhii Lysak. Russian shelling also killed a couple in their 50s in the southern city of Kherson, close to the front lines, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported in a Facebook post. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack last Sunday on Russian military airfields. Trump also said that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before pulling them apart and pursuing peace.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Russian drones and missiles target Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv, killing 3, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — A large Russian drone-and-missile attack targeted Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring 21, local officials said. The barrage — the latest in near daily widescale attacks — included aerial glide bombs that have become part of a fierce Russian onslaught in the three-year war. The intensity of the Russian attacks on Ukraine over the past weeks has further dampened hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon — especially after Kyiv recently embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia struck with 215 missiles and drones overnight, and Ukrainian air defenses shot down and neutralized 87 drones and seven missiles. Several other areas in Ukraine were also hit, including the regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and the city of Ternopil, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. 'To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine,' he said. The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday said its forces carried out a nighttime strike on Ukrainian military targets, including ammunition depots, drone assembly workshops, and weaponry repair stations. There was no comment from Moscow on the reports of casualties in Kharkiv. Kharkiv's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said the strikes also damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 private homes. Terekhov said it was 'the most powerful attack' on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kharkiv's regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said two districts in the city were struck with three missiles, five aerial glide bombs and 48 drones. Among the injured were two children, a baby boy and a 14-year old girl, he added. In the Dnipropetrovsk province further south, two women aged 45 and 88 were injured, according to local Gov. Serhii Lysak. Russian shelling also killed a couple in their 50s in the southern city of Kherson, close to the front lines, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported in a Facebook post. Meanwhile, Russia's defense ministry said its forces shot down 36 Ukrainian drones overnight, over the country's south and west, including near the capital. Drone debris injured two civilians in the suburbs of Moscow, local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov reported. On Friday, Russia struck six Ukrainian territories, killing at least six people and injuring about 80. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. A U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, though the negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs. The sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasn't budged from its demands. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that Putin told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack on Russian military airfields last Sunday. Trump also said that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trump's comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signaled he may be giving up on recent peace efforts. Samya Kullab And Volodymyr Yurchuk, The Associated Press
CTV News
14 hours ago
- CTV News
6 killed, 80 wounded in intense Russian air attacks on Ukraine
KYIV - Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early hours of Friday, killing at least six people, Ukrainian officials said, as powerful explosions reverberated across the country. The attacks followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin, conveyed via U.S. President Donald Trump, that the Kremlin would hit back after Ukrainian drones destroyed several strategic bomber aircraft in attacks deep inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said three emergency responders were killed in the missile and drone salvo against the capital. Two died in an attack on the northern city of Chernihiv and at least one more in the northwestern city of Lutsk. 'Those killed in Kyiv were rescue workers who arrived at the scene of an initial strike and, unfortunately, were killed in a repeat Russian strike,' Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, writing on X, said Russia had ''responded' to its destroyed aircraft... by attacking civilians in Ukraine.... Multi-story buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged.' Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out the strike on military and military-related targets in response to what it called Ukrainian 'terrorist acts' against Russia. 'They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, when asked about how Ukraine's earlier drone strikes had affected the conflict. Zelenskyy said 80 people nationwide had been injured in the attacks, which also struck several other towns and cities. He said residents could still be trapped under rubble. In Chernihiv, the national emergency services said two bodies were recovered from the rubble of a wrecked industrial enterprise. In Lutsk, the body of a man was found in the ruins of an apartment block, while emergency crews kept searching for his wife. Thirty people were hurt in the city, where educational institutions and a government building were also hit. Russian forces also struck industrial facilities and infrastructure in the western city of Ternopil, leaving parts of it without power, Mayor Serhii Nadal said. The regional administration said the attack had injured 10 people and asked residents to temporarily stay inside due to a high concentration of toxic substances in the air after a fire. The air force said Russia had used 407 drones, one of the largest numbers recorded in a single attack. It said 45 cruise and ballistic missiles were also fired. Attacks hit Kyiv transport system Kyiv's metro transport system was disrupted by a Russian strike that hit and damaged tracks between stations, the military administration said. The state rail company said it was also diverting some trains due to rail damage outside the city. Reuters witnesses reported a series of booming explosions powerful enough to rattle windows far from the impact sites. Some Kyiv residents sought shelter in metro stations, or in underground car parks. In the capital's Solomianskyi district, a Russian drone slammed into the side of an apartment building, leaving a gaping hole and burn marks, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. Falling concrete blocks from the building crushed cars parked below. Two police investigators were examining what appeared to be the drone's engine. Earlier in the night, Reuters reporters heard the sound of Russian kamikaze drones buzzing in the sky, accompanied by the sounds of outgoing fire from Ukrainian anti-aircraft batteries. Zelenskyy called for concerted pressure on Russia. 'If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives – that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively,' he wrote on X. The Ukrainian military said it had launched a pre-emptive strike overnight on the Engels and Dyagilevo airfields in the Russian regions of Saratov and Ryazan, in addition to striking at least three fuel reservoirs. In one of the most audacious attacks of the three-year-old war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian spies last weekend destroyed some of Russia's strategic bomber aircraft on the ground using quadrocopter drones hidden in wooden sheds. After a phone conversation with Putin on Wednesday, Trump said the Kremlin was planning an unspecified response to the Ukrainian attack on the Russian air bases. Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Max Hunder, Gleb Garanich, Anastasiia Malenko and Trevor Hunnicutt; writing by Ron Popeski; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Clarence Fernandez, Gareth Jones, Mark Herinrich and David Gregorio.
