Ukraine and Russia head for peace talks after drone strike on Moscow's bombers
Ukraine's audacious strike on Russia's air force over the weekend has been met with a barrage of drone attacks from Moscow just hours before the sides are due to sit down for peace talks.
A Ukrainian spokesperson said their delegation had arrived in Istanbul for talks with Russian officials and their meeting is planned for Monday afternoon.
This is the second round of discussion to be held in Istanbul in recent weeks after they were initially suggested by Russia but then rebuked by the Ukrainians when Vladimir Putin did not turn up and Moscow only sent a low level delegation.
The chance of a breakthrough on Monday seems slim following Ukraine's drone attack on Russia's air force over the weekend, dubbed "Operation Spiderweb."
Ukraine struck numerous airbases across Russia, stretching as far as their border with Mongolia, and Kyiv claims to have destroyed or damaged 40 long range bombers.
They say this is roughly 30% of the total number of long range bombers Moscow controlled, with many of the destroyed aircraft no longer in production and were irreplaceable.
Ukraine said over the course of 18 months they smuggled the 117 drones into Russia and planned the coordinated strike, with each drone having its own pilot.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was a "brilliant result" and was "achieved soley by Ukraine."
In response, Russia launched the biggest number of drones on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's air force said.
The strike killed at least 12 soldiers and wounded 60 others at the 239th training ground, prompting the head of Ukraine's land forces to take responsibility and resign, the Guardian reported.
Russia has intensified its drone strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, with numerous barrages setting records for the number of missiles launched.
Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet Monday in Istanbul to exchange their plans for how to end the three-year war, Europe's largest conflict since World War II, after Kyiv says it struck dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases deep in Russia.
Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia's invasion but have yet to make significant progress towards an elusive agreement.
Reads the full story from France24
Life in the villages of deepest Siberia or Russia's Arctic north felt a world away from the front lines of their country's war with Ukraine.
Yet suddenly, as they went about the Sunday business, the war unmistakably and dramatically arrived at their doorsteps. From the roof panels of nondescript container lorries parked in quiet rural lay-bys, drone after buzzing drone rose nonchalantly into the sky before hurling itself at nearby airbases housing some of Russia's most prized military assets.
Read the full story from The Telegraph
This operation has demonstrated that Ukraine is very much still in the fight, whatever dour statements emerge from the White House.
Mr Trump, easily distracted and unfocused on his best days, has told big and small lies about the war since the beginning of his second term, all damaging to the reality and perception that Ukraine is holding its own.
Read the full piece from the Telegraph
An audacious Ukrainian drone attack against multiple airbases across Russia is a humiliating security breach for Vladimir Putin that will doubtless trigger a furious response.
Pro-Kremlin bloggers have described the drone assault - which Ukrainian security sources said hit more than 40 Russian warplanes - as "Russia's Pearl Harbor" in reference to the Japanese attack against the US in 1941 that prompted Washington to enter the Second World War.
Read the full article from Sky News
Donald Trump was not given a heads-up about Ukraine's unprecedented drone strikes that took out a huge fleet of Russian planes on Sunday, according to reports.
Ukraine's 'large-scale' drone attack launched deep into Russian territory wiped out 40 military bombers and targeted five bases, Ukrainian security sources told CBS News.
The attack took over a year and a half to plan and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the sources added.
Read the full article from the Independent
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