Latest news with #Ivanovo
BBC News
16 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Satellite images show Russian bombers destroyed in Ukraine attack
New satellite images and drone footage show serious damage inflicted on aircraft at several Russian airbases during Ukraine's surprise drone strike on images of two Russian airbases in north-western and central Russia, taken on Wednesday morning, show 12 aircraft damaged or drone footage, released by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Wednesday, showed attacks on these two bases as well as two more targeted claims that it targeted 41 strategic bombers in the operation, adding that "at least" 13 were destroyed. Security officials say the shock incursion took 18 months to plan and saw many drones smuggled into Russia. Drone attacks recorded The SBU video is almost five minutes long and consists of edited footage taken by drones in the process of conducting attacks on Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo and Belaya each shot the feed cuts out before any explosion, but in some instances we see other planes on fire in the background. At no point do we see any indication of defensive measures from Russian forces, even after the attack was clearly well of the aircraft are covered in tyres - a Russian tactic said to be aimed at mitigating against drone of the aircraft are seen apparently loaded with cruise missiles and well fuelled - judging by the extent and spread of fires. This suggests they were prepared to conduct strikes. The clearest satellite imagery covers Olenya and Belaya and shows five damaged or destroyed planes at the former and seven at the latter. Olenya Olenya is a major Russian airbase in the north-west of the SBU footage shows smoke pouring from three aircraft, identified as Tu-95 strategic bombers and an approach to a fourth. Video footage also shows a drone approaching a Tu-22M strategic bomber sitting on the runway in this very same imagery from Maxar clearly shows a destroyed aircraft sitting beside a row of Tu-22M type aircraft. Manufacturing of both the Tu-95 and Tu-22 ended at the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, which will make repair difficult and replacement near in the SBU video, an AN-12 Transporter can be seen being approached. The Maxar satellite image does not show the aftermath of this, but other imagery reviewed by BBC Verify from AviVector - a satellite image analyst on X - suggests that it too was destroyed. Belaya Imagery provided by Planet Labs from this morning shows the entirety of Belaya airbase in Irkutsk Oblast, nearly 3,000km from the Ukrainian border. It shows three damaged Tu-95s and four Tu-22s and in various parts of the base. The SBU footage shows many of the same aircraft being two instances we see the drone carefully position itself on the wing of a Tu-95 - next to one of its fuel final shot of the footage shows smoke rising from numerous sites across the base. Ivanovo At Ivanovo airbase two A50-AWACS planes are seen being targeted. The aircraft serves as an early warning and control asset - or spy plane - and is identifiable by the sizeable radar system on its previously shot down two of these aircraft in January and February yet we have not seen any imagery or footage that captures any damage to these aircraft at satellite imagery from the site does show wreckage, BBC Verify has confirmed that the damage was present at the site before Sunday's attack and is likely from another incident. Dyagilevo The SBU footage from Dyagilevo in Ryazan region shows three Tu-22s being approached, but there is no clear indication of damage sustained in either the footage or available satellite reporting by Shayan Sardarizadeh What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Zelensky hails 'brilliant success' in attacking Russian airfields
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has celebrated the surprise attack by his intelligence service, the SBU, on several Russian military airfields as an "absolutely brilliant success." He said this was Ukraine's most far-reaching operation in the course of the war so far. "One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective implementation," Zelensky wrote on the platform X on Sunday evening. He instructed the intelligence service to inform the public about part of the operation. The SBU attacked several Russian military airfields in a coordinated action, claiming to have destroyed over 40 combat and reconnaissance aircraft. According to the SBU, about 34% of the Russian bombers capable of launching cruise missiles were destroyed. The SBU estimated the value of the damaged or destroyed bombers at $7 billion. The information has not been independently verified. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the drone attack early Sunday evening, describing them as "terrorist attacks" on military airfields in the regions of Ivanovo, Ryazan, Amur, Murmansk and Irkutsk. The attacks in the regions of Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur were repelled, Moscow said. In the regions of Murmansk and Irkutsk, "some" aircraft caught fire due to drone attacks, but the Russian Ministry of Defence downplayed the impact of the attacks. The fires were extinguished, it said, adding that there were no injuries among military personnel or civilians. The agents involved in the operation have already returned to Ukraine, according to the SBU and Zelensky. If Russia reports arrests, this claim "only serves the domestic audience," the SBU said. Early Sunday evening, Russian security forces were cited by the state news agency TASS as saying that some participants had been arrested.
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ukrainian drones target Russian airbases in unprecedented operation
Officials say multiple military airbases have come under drone attacks in Russia in a major operation taking place ahead of peace talks with Ukraine due to start in Istanbul on Monday. The Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukraine had launched drone strikes targeting Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday, causing several aircraft to catch fire. The attacks occurred in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. Air defences repelled the assaults in all but two regions – Murmansk and Irkutsk, the ministry said. 'In the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire,' the ministry said. The fires were extinguished and no casualties were reported. Some individuals involved in the attacks had been detained, the ministry said. Officials said that attacks targeted the Belaya airbase in Irkutsk, about 4,300km (2,700 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and the Olenya airbase in south Murmansk, some 1,800km (1,100 miles) from Ukraine. 'According to witnesses on the ground and local officials, these drones were launched from sites near the airbases. That means this was an elaborate operation, most likely by the Ukrainians, that involved a number of people inside Russia,' Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari said, reporting from Moscow. 'This is the single largest attack that we've seen in one day across multiple military airbases inside Russia since the war began in February of 2022,' Jabbari said, noting that the airbases are home to Russia's strategic air bombers, which have been used to attack targets across Ukraine over the past three years. Meanwhile in Ukraine, multiple local media reports, including those by state news agency Ukrinform, cited a source within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) saying the coordinated attacks inside Russia were 'aimed at destroying enemy bombers far from the front'. They said the operation was carried out by the SBU using drones smuggled deep into Russia and hidden inside trucks. At least 41 Russian heavy bombers at four airbases were hit, the reports said, adding that the operation, dubbed 'Spiderweb', had been prepared for over a year and a half, and it was personally overseen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Al Jazeera's John Hendren, reporting from Kyiv, said it's 'an audacious strike, one that Ukraine has been waiting a long time and patiently to deliver, and it's come after Russian air strikes into Ukraine have dramatically accelerated over the past couple of weeks'. Meanwhile, at least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up while a passenger train heading to Moscow was crossing it with 388 people on board. No one has yet claimed responsibility. Russian officials said they were treating the incident as an 'act of terrorism' but did not immediately accuse Ukraine. The developments came as Russia also said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and as open-source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq km (174sq miles) of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months. Moscow launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said, the highest nightly total of the war so far. Russia had also launched seven missiles, the Air Force said. Both parties sharply ramped up their attacks as Ukraine confirmed it will send a delegation to Istanbul led by its Defence Minister Rustem Umerov for talks on Monday with Russian officials. Turkiye is hosting the meeting, which was spurred by US President Donald Trump's push for a quick deal to end the three-year war. Zelenskyy, who previously voiced scepticism about the seriousness of the Russian side in engaging in Monday's meeting, said he had defined the Ukrainian delegation's position on the talks. Priorities included 'a complete and unconditional ceasefire' and the return of prisoners and abducted children, he said on social media. Russia has said it has formulated its own peace terms, but refused to divulge them in advance. Russian President Vladimir Putin also ruled out a Turkish proposal for the meeting to be held at the leaders' level.
