Zelenskyy says audacious strikes on Russian airbases will go 'in history books'
Ukraine's president says his country's attack on 40 bomber aircraft at multiple bases across Russia "will undoubtedly be in history books".
Drones were smuggled into Russia and launched remotely off the back of trucks, security sources said.
It is one of the most audacious Ukrainian special operations since the start of Vladimir Putin's war more than three years ago - and is a huge breach of Russia's national defences.
In a further humiliation for the Kremlin, Ukraine's president revealed that the "office" where the secret Ukrainian mission was conducted inside Russia was located next to a facility run by the Russian security services, the FSB.
"In total, 117 drones were used in the operation," Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message posted on social media.
"And the corresponding number of drone operators were working. Thirty four percent of the strategic cruise missile carriers at the airfields were hit.
"Our people were operating in different Russian regions - in three time zones. And our people were withdrawn from the territory of Russia on the eve of the operation, and now they are safe - those who helped us."
He added that Ukraine was defending itself and its operation "will undoubtedly be in history books".
The targeting of the bomber force will degrade the Russian military's ability to launch missile strikes against Ukraine.
Videos shared with Sky News by Ukraine's SBU Security Service purport to show a line of Russian strategic bombers with smoke billowing out of them.
"Enemy strategic bombers are massively burning in Russia - this is the result of a special SBU operation," a security source said.
The operation - codenamed "spider's web" - sounds more like a plot from a science fiction movie than reality, but it shows how new technology has transformed the battlefield.
It also reveals the vulnerability of large bases and expensive pieces of military equipment.
A security source said Ukrainian operatives smuggled first-person view (FPV) drones into Russia.
They then brought in a load of wooden, flat-pack, garden office-style containers.
These huts were constructed, with the drones hidden inside them, before being put on to the back of trucks and driven to locations from where the attacks were launched.
At the right moment, hatches on the roofs of the huts were opened remotely, and the drones were piloted onto their targets, according to the source.
The source said the mission took one and a half years to plan and was supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sources said the individuals who took part in this special operation have been back in Ukraine for a long time.
They claimed that anyone detained in Russia by the Russian authorities would be just for show.
Offering details of the actual attack, a second source said four bases were targeted. It was not possible independently to confirm the claim.
"Right now, the Security Service of Ukraine is conducting a large-scale special operation to destroy enemy bombers in the rear of Russia," the source said.
"The SBU drones are targeting aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities every night. So far, more than 40 planes have been hit, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3."
The Tu-95 and Tu-22 are both heavy bombers that can fire cruise missiles.
At least one of the videos shared with Sky News is purportedly of the Belaya airfield, more than 2,500 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Sources claimed to have inflicted more than $2bn (£1.4bn) worth of damage on the Russian air force.
"We are waiting for the details. And we hope that the number of hit aircraft will increase!" one source said.
The latest toll was 41 aircraft, according to Ukrainian sources.
The other Russian airbases targeted by Ukraine were: Diagilevo, Olenya and Ivanovo airfields.
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'I really love this regiment because the infrastructure is brand new, but it takes time... It takes time to build a new infrastructure. 'From that perspective, we have some constraints when it comes to how many soldiers we can take and host at one step,' he said. 'But I would say Gotland as an island has been used to host big international exercises for years - all the units that are working here are comfortable working together with allies already.' Russian designs on Gotland Moscow is well aware of Gotland's strategic importance. If the Kremlin were also to gain control of the island, it would leave Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania sandwiched between the Russian mainland to the East, Kaliningrad to the West and yet another strategic location to the North. Not only would this isolate the Baltic States from the rest of their NATO allies, it would dramatically enhance Russia's air and maritime capabilities in the Baltic Sea to threaten the Nordics and Western Europe. 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(to serve) the dream of both NATO bloc and the Americans to turn the Baltic Sea into a NATO sea. We understand what kind of threat this is. 'In any case, more intensive [Russian] exercises will take place in the Baltic. We have to understand that Finland too is already a NATO member. Therefore, our actions will be adequate – both from Kaliningrad, where the Baltic Fleet is based, and from the rest of Russia.' Lt. Gen. Edström told reporters in Gotland: 'It's very important to understand that, although Russia is engaged in special operations that were war against Ukraine, they see themselves in a long-term conflict with the West. 'Even if the war in Ukraine - which I hope really soon will have a ceasefire or even a peace agreement - comes to an end, that doesn't mean that Russia will change their mind, they will stay in conflict with the West. 'That means that we can't take our eyes off Russia, for the foreseeable 10 or 15 years to come.' 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These regions are working very closely with civil agencies, authorities, entities, and companies to strengthen the total defence concept. 'That means also sometimes to share plans between military and civilian units and do joint exercises. This is something we're working on closely at the moment - these are active efforts with real training, cooperation plans, and integration.' He later told reporters: 'We are building a resilient island that can take a hit and continue to work on the civilian as well as on the military side. 'That is our goal: to continue to grow the resilience of the Swedish society and the total defence concept, but also specifically for Gotland's capability to take a hit and continue to work.' As part of the total defence concept, the government has created the post of minister for civil defence to work alongside the armed forces minister, so civilians can be mobilised as well as the military. In November, Sweden's Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) distributed five million pamphlets to residents urging them to prepare for the possibility of war. The booklet named 'If Crisis or War Comes' contained information about how to prepare for emergencies such as war, natural disasters, cyber attacks and terrorism. The government is investing in improving the emergency services' capacity to operate during conflicts, strengthening cybersecurity and replenishing medicine stocks. And the MSB said last month it had begun a huge project to modernise the nation's nuclear shelters - a task it expected to take 'two to three years' - which includes efforts to upgrade filters which help protect occupants from chemical and radiological weapons. With 64,000 bunkers sites spread across the country, Sweden already has more shelters than almost every other nation with space for around seven million people - more than two-thirds of its population. The bunkers are designed to provide protection against shockwaves and bomb fragments, the blast and heatwaves from a nuclear weapon, radioactive fallout, gas from chemical weapons and biological weapons.
