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CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Ukraine's drone attack on Russian warplanes was a serious blow to the Kremlin's strategic arsenal
Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers fly past a Russian flag at the Kremlin complex during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, May 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) A surprise Ukrainian drone attack that targeted several Russian air bases hosting nuclear-capable strategic bombers was unprecedented in its scope and sophistication and for the first time reached as far as Siberia in a heavy blow to the Russian military. Ukraine said over 40 bombers, or about a third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet, were damaged or destroyed Sunday, although Moscow said only several planes were struck. The conflicting claims couldn't be independently verified and video of the assault posted on social media showed only a couple of bombers hit. But the bold attack demonstrated Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets anywhere in Russia, dealing a humiliating blow to the Kremlin and inflicting significant losses to Moscow's war machine. While some Russian military bloggers compared it to another infamous Sunday surprise attack — that of Japan's strike on the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor in 1941 — others rejected the analogy, arguing the actual damage was far less significant than Ukraine claimed. A look at what warplanes were reported hit: Russia's bomber assets For decades, long-range bombers have been part of the Soviet and Russian nuclear triad that also includes land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and atomic-powered submarines carrying ICBMs. The strategic bombers have flown regular patrols around the globe showcasing Moscow's nuclear might. During the 3-year-old war in Ukraine, Russia has used the heavy planes to launch waves of cruise missile strikes across the country. The Tupolev Tu-95, which was code named Bear by NATO, is a four-engine turboprop plane designed in the 1950s to rival the U.S. B-52 bomber. The aircraft has an intercontinental range and carries eight long-range cruise missiles that can be equipped with conventional or nuclear warheads. Before Sunday, Russia was estimated to have a fleet of about 60 such aircraft. The Tupolev Tu-22M is a twin-engine supersonic bomber designed in the 1970s that was code named Backfire by NATO. It has a shorter range compared with the Tu-95, but during U.S.-Soviet arms control talks in the 1970s, Washington insisted on counting them as part of the Soviet strategic nuclear arsenal because of their capability to reach the U.S. if refueled in flight. The latest version of the plane, the Tu-22M3, carries Kh-22 cruise missiles that fly at more than three times the speed of sound. It dates to the 1970s, when it was designed by the Soviet Union to strike U.S. aircraft carriers. It packs a big punch, thanks to its supersonic speed and ability to carry 630 kilograms (nearly 1,400 pounds) of explosives, but its outdated guidance system could make it highly inaccurate against ground targets, raising the possibility of collateral damage. Some Tu-22Ms were lost in previous Ukrainian attacks, and Russia was estimated to have between 50 and 60 Tu-22M3s in service before Sunday's drone strike. The production of the Tu-95 and the Tu-22M ended after the 1991 collapse of the USSR, meaning that any lost can't be replaced. Russia also has another type of strategic nuclear-capable bomber, the supersonic Tu-160. Fewer than 20 of them are in service, and Russia has just begun production of its modernized version equipped with new engines and avionics. Russia lost a significant part of its heavy bomber fleet in the attack 'with no immediate ability to replace it,' said Douglas Barrie of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, noting that Moscow's announced plan to develop the next generation strategic bomber is still in its early phase. 'Ironically this might give impetus to that program, because if if you want to keep your bomber fleet up to size, then you're going to have to do something at some point,' he said. The A-50, which Ukrainian officials also said was hit in the strikes, is an early warning and control aircraft similar to the U.S. AWACS planes used to coordinate aerial attacks. Only a few such planes are in service with the Russian military, and any loss badly dents Russia's military capability. Relocating bombers and impromptu protection Repeated Ukrainian strikes on the Engels air base, the main base for Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers near the Volga River city of Saratov, prompted Moscow to relocate the bombers to other bases farther from the conflict. One of them was Olenya on the Arctic Kola Peninsula, from where Tu-95s have flown multiple missions to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine. Several bombers at Olenya apparently were hit by the Ukrainian drones Sunday, according to analysts studying satellite images before and after the strike. Other drones targeted the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia, destroying a few Tu-22M bombers, according to analysts. Ukraine said 41 aircraft — Tu-95s, Tu-22Ms and A-50s — were damaged or destroyed in the attack that it said was in the works for 18 months in which swarms of drones popped out of containers carried on trucks that were parked near four air bases. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was briefed on the attack, which represented a level of sophistication that Washington had not seen before, a senior defence official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The Russian Defence Ministry said the attack set several warplanes ablaze at air bases in the Irkutsk region and the Murmansk region in the north, but the fires were extinguished. It said Ukraine also tried to strike two air bases in western Russia, as well as another one in the Amur region of Russia's Far East, but those attacks were repelled. The drone strikes produced an outcry from Russian military bloggers, who criticized the Defence Ministry for failing to learn from previous strikes and protect the bombers. Building shelters or hangars for such large planes is a daunting task, and the military has tried some impromptu solutions that were criticized as window dressing. Satellite images have shown Tu-95s at various air bases covered by layers of old tires — a measure of dubious efficiency that has drawn mockery on social media. ___ The Associated Press Associated Press Pentagon correspondent Tara Copp and Emma Burrows in London contributed.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Russia, Ukraine in Istanbul for fresh peace talks
Kyiv yesterday said it had damaged some 40 strategic Russian bombers in a major special operation. (Ukrainian security service/AP pic) ISTANBUL : Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet today in Istanbul to exchange their plans on how to end the three-year war, Europe's largest conflict since World War II, after Kyiv said it carried out one of its most successful attacks, hitting bombers parked at airbases deep inside 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. Today's talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil – hitting dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases thousands of kilometres behind the frontline. At the first round of talks in Istanbul last month, the two sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange and to swap notes on what their vision of a peace deal might look like. The second set of negotiations is scheduled to get underway at 1pm at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, an Ottoman imperial house on the banks of the Bosphorus that is now a luxury five-star hotel. Russia's negotiators arrived late yesterday, with Ukraine's team touching down this morning. Moscow says it will present a 'memorandum' of its peace terms, having resisted pressure by Ukraine to send its demands in advance. Despite the flurry of diplomacy, the two sides remain far apart over a possible deal – either for a truce or a longer-term settlement. Outlining Kyiv's position ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refreshed his call for an immediate halt to the fighting. 'First – a full and unconditional ceasefire. Second – the release of prisoners. Third – the return of abducted children,' he said today in a post on social media. He also called for the sides to discuss a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'The key issues can only be resolved by the leaders,' Zelensky said. The Kremlin has repeatedly pushed back on that prospect, saying a Putin-Zelensky meeting could only happen after the negotiating delegations reach wider 'agreements'. Russia has questioned Zelensky's legitimacy throughout the war and repeatedly called for him to be toppled. Moscow says it wants to address the 'root causes' of the conflict – language typically used to refer to a mix of sweeping demands including limiting Ukraine's military, banning the country from joining Nato and massive territorial concessions. Kyiv and the west have rejected those calls and cast Russia's assault as nothing but an imperialist land grab. Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded, with swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed and millions forced to flee their homes, in Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. Russia's top negotiator in Istanbul will be Vladimir Medinsky, an ideological Putin aide who led failed talks in 2022, has written school textbooks justifying the invasion and has questioned Ukraine's right to exist as a nation. Ukraine's team will be led by defence minister Rustem Umerov, seen as a skilled and pragmatic negotiator, but who has been mired in domestic scandal over alleged abuse of power and a lack of transparency. 'Diplomatic advisors' from Germany, France and Britain will be 'on the ground… in close coordination with the Ukrainian negotiating team,' a German government spokesman said today. Ukraine yesterday said it had damaged some 40 strategic Russian bombers, worth US$7 billion, in a major special operation after months of setbacks for Kyiv's military. Kyiv's security service said the plan, 18 months in the making, had involved smuggling drones into Russia which were then launched from near the airbases, thousands of kilometres away from the frontlines. Russian troops have meanwhile been advancing on the ground, particularly in the northeastern Sumy region, where Putin ordered his forces to establish a 'buffer zone' along the border. Ahead of the talks, Russian officials have called for Ukraine to be cut off from western military support and cede territory still controlled by its army. Ukraine has pushed Russia to agree to a full, unconditional and immediate ceasefire – saying a pause in the fighting is necessary to then discuss what a long-term settlement could look like. Kyiv has conceded it may only be able to get territory taken by Russia through diplomacy, not fighting. It also wants concrete western-backed security guarantees – like Nato protections or troops on the ground – that have also been ruled out by Russia.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Special Ukrainian operation targets more than 40 'enemy bombers' deep inside Russia, source says
Ukraine hit more than 40 Russian bomber aircraft at four bases across Russia, using drones smuggled into the country 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. 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 "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: "Right now, the Security Service of Ukraine is conducting a large-scale special operation to destroy enemy bombers in the rear of Russia. "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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Enemy bombers are burning en masse' — Ukraine's SBU drones hit 'more than 40' Russian aircraft
Editor's note: This is a breaking story and is being updated. An operation by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has hit "more than 40" Russian bombers at airfelds "in the rear of the Russian Federation," a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on June 1. "Enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia - this is the result of a special operation by the SBU," the source said. "Right now, the Security Service of Ukraine is conducting a large-scale special operation to destroy enemy bomber aircraft in the rear of the Russian Federation. "SBU drones are practicing on aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities every night. Currently, more than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3." 0:00 / 1× We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
