Latest news with #RussianAirfields
National Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
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.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Brazen drone strike showcases Ukrainian innovation as war grinds on
KYIV — 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. 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.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian strike on Russian airfields: what we know so far
Military airfields located in five Russian regions, including those in Siberia and the Far East, have been targeted in coordinated drone attacks orchestrated by Kiev, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The Ukrainian media have claimed it was a major operation targeting Russian strategic aviation. According to Moscow, most strikes were repelled, with some resulting in material damage but no casualties. The airfields in question are located in Murmansk Region in the country's north, in Ivanovo and Ryazan regions in central Russia as well as in Irkutsk Region in Siberia and Amur Region in the far east, the country's defense ministry stated. According to the Ukrainian media, the airfields housed Russian strategic bombers Tu-95 and Tu-22M as well as an A-50 early warning and control plane among other aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry has not confirmed this information. Nor has it revealed the aircraft types stationed at the airfields targeted in the attack. It was the first time in over three years since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict that Kiev's forces targeted Russian facilities located in Siberia and the Far East. All the attacks employed first-person view (PFV) kamikaze drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that at least some of them were launched from areas located in close proximity to the airfields. It also blamed the 'Kiev regime' for the strikes it branded 'terrorist attacks.' According to both the Ukrainian and the Russian media, the drones were taking off from trucks parked not far from the airfields and loaded with containers. A Russian Shot Telegram channel published a video purporting to show several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying out of one such contained in the Irkutsk Region. Plumes of thick smoke can be seen at a distance behind the truck in the clip. Sounds of gunfire can also be heard on the video, with a witness claiming that some police officers attempted to shoot a drone down, using small arms. Another video posted by Shot showed a crowd of people trying to hit the drones flying out of a truck with stones. The video was also recorded in the Irkutsk Region, according to the strikes were part of a major Ukrainian operation targeting the Russian 'strategic aviation' and codenamed 'Spiderweb,' several Ukrainian media, including Channel 24 and RBK Ukraine, reported, citing sources within the nation's domestic security service (SBU). The SBU itself confirmed it was behind the operation as it published a photo of its head, Vasily Malyuk, looking at the maps of what appears to be five Russian airfields. The security service also claimed that about a third of Russian cruise missile carriers were hit in the attacks. According to the Ukrainian media, the nation's security service had prepared the operation for more than a year and a half as it gradually transported the drones and moveable containers to Russia. The operation was also allegedly personally overseen by Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, who reportedly claimed a total of 117 UAVs were used in the strikes, according to the reports. In Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions, the attacks were repelled and resulted in no damage or casualties, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. In Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, the strikes led to some aircraft catching fire, it added. The blaze was promptly extinguished, according to the Russian military. No casualties have been reported in any of the incidents. The Defense Ministry also did not report losing a single aircraft as a result of the attacks. The Ukrainian media have claimed that around 40 aircraft were damaged in the operation, including several strategic bombers. The Russian authorities have not commented on the Ukrainian media culprits behind the attacks have been detained, the Russian defense ministry said, without revealing the number of those arrested or their identities. According to Shot, the Russian investigative authorities identified the trucks involved in the attacks and are now 'working' with their drivers. Several Telegram channels, including Shot and Baza, also reported that the Russian OSINT investigators traced the drones back to a warehouse located in the Russian Chelyabinsk Region in the southern Urals. The Russian security service officers have reportedly raided the warehouse in question and are now investigating its owner. Some trucks involved in the attacks also allegedly were registered in the Chelyabinsk Region, according to the Telegram channels. One truck loaded with drones has reportedly failed to reach its destination, the Russian Telegram channels reported. The vehicle caught fire while on a road in the Amur Region and eventually exploded, the channels reported as they published a video purporting to show the moment of the explosion. The incident took place a day before the attack, according to Baza. A container caught fire that triggered the explosion was 'similar' to the ones seen on videos with drones, the channel said. A man who was driving the truck died in the incident, Baza said. He stopped the vehicle as he realized it was on fire and went to check for the source of the blaze at the very moment when it exploded, the channel reported, identifying him as Vasily P., 62. The attacks came just a day before the scheduled talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul. The two nations were scheduled to hold the second round of the recently resumed direct negotiations that were stalled for some three years after Kiev unilaterally walked away from the negotiating table in spring 2022. The two sides agreed to hold a major prisoner swap involving 1,000 POWs from each side during the first round of talks last month. On Monday, they are expected to exchange peace proposals as part of an agreement reached in May. Ukraine has significantly escalated drone strikes into Russia in recent weeks, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has earlier described the attacks as attempts to derail the peace process. The strikes occurred less than a day after two bridges in Russian regions were destroyed in what authorities described as sabotage. In Bryansk Region, an overpass fell onto a rail line, killing seven and injuring at least 69, according to the governor. Hours later, early Sunday, a railway bridge in Kursk Region gave way under a moving freight train, injuring the driver and two assistants. The Russian Investigative Committee said that both bridges were 'blown up' while stopping short of naming any suspects behind the attacks. Russian Senator Andrey Klishas blamed Kiev for both incidents.
National Post
3 days ago
- General
- National Post
Ukraine destroys more than 40 Russian bombers in bold strike deep inside enemy territory
Article content Ukrainian drones hit several Russian strategic airfields, including a military base deep in eastern Siberia, while Moscow launched one of its longest drone and missile attacks against Kyiv, escalating tensions ahead of crucial peace talks this week. Article content More than 40 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 around US$2 billion, the person said. Article content Article content Drones were released remotely from wooden mobile houses that were transported on trucks inside Russian territory, according to the official. Article content Article content Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed in a Telegram statement attacks 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. Article content The attacks 'were repelled at the Ivanovo, Ryazan and the Amur regions,' the ministry said. Bloomberg couldn't independently verify either side's claims. Article content Earlier on Sunday, Ukraine came under one of the longest barrages from Russian missiles and drones, with air sirens lasting for more then nine 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. Article content Article content 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 signalled if the attacks may affect the talks. Article content Article content Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday confirmed Defence 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.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Ukrainian Drones Strike Four Millitary Airfields in Russia
Ukrainian drones hit several Russian military airfields Sunday, including Belaya military base deep in eastern Siberia, according to a source with Ukraine's Security Service. More than 40 aircraft, including the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3, are reported to be damaged in the operation, with losses assessed to be around $2 billion, according to the person who asked not to be identified. Ukraine's Security Service Chief Vasyl Malyuk led the operation.
