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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Ukraine's drone attack on Russian warplanes was a serious blow to the Kremlin's strategic arsenal
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 Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A look at what warplanes were reported hit: Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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punch, thanks to its supersonic speed and ability to carry 630 kilograms (nearly 1,400 pounds) of explosives, but its outdated guidance system could make it highly inaccurate against ground targets, raising the possibility of collateral damage.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 of them lost Sunday 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. Advertisement '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 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 Sunday. 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 defense official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Advertisement The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack set several warplanes ablaze at air bases in the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia 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 Defense 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.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Our most long-range operation': Ukrainian President Zelenskyy hails ‘brilliant' drone strikes on Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday praised the drone strike deep inside Russia, calling it a 'brilliant result' and an important moment in the war. The operation, over a year and a half in the making, targeted several Russian military airfields, destroying more than 40 aircraft, including bombers and surveillance planes. It marked what Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) called the most extensive strike yet on Russian soil, carried out entirely by Ukrainian forces. 'An absolutely brilliant result. A result achieved solely by Ukraine.' Zelenskyy posted on social media platform X. — ZelenskyyUa (@ZelenskyyUa) 'Our most long-range operation,' he said, adding 'Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time.' Thanking General Vasyl Maliuk, the head of Ukraine's Security Service, Zelenskyy said the success would be remembered as a defining chapter in the war, 'these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books.' The mission, called Operation Spider Web, reportedly destroyed 41 Russian planes, including strategic Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers, aircraft frequently used by Moscow to launch missile attacks on Ukraine. Also hit was the A-50, a critical airborne early warning system used to coordinate missile strikes. According to a senior Ukrainian military official speaking to the AP, the operation was 'extremely complex'. Ukraine's Security Service said the operation caused an estimated $7 billion in damage and destroyed 34% of Russia's fleet of air missile carriers. However, these claims have not been independently verified. Zelenskyy also said that 117 drones were deployed in the massive attack. "A total of 117 drones were used in the operation. And a corresponding number of drone operators worked," Zelensky said in a statement, quoted by AFP. The Russian defence ministry confirmed attacks on bases in Irkutsk and Murmansk, more than 4,000 km from Ukraine, and said other strikes had been repelled in Amur, Ivanovo, and Ryazan. The drone strike came just ahead of a new round of direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on Monday. 'Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so,' Zelenskyy said. 'we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war. Russia started this war, Russia must end it. Glory to Ukraine!'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump left in dark over air base attacks on Russia
Donald Trump was not told about Ukraine's mass drone attack on Russia's strategic bomber bases. The coordinated strikes, orchestrated by Ukraine's security services, targeted four airfields deep inside Russia in what could be the most damaging drone attacks of the three-year war. Operation 'Web' allegedly hit more than 40 strategic bombers, took 18 months to execute and was personally overseen by Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian security sources said. However, the US president was not notified in advance of the attack in advance, Ukrainian and US officials said. Despite the Trump administration's efforts to broker a ceasefire, both sides have ramped up their attacks in recent weeks. Overnight, a wave of bombings targeted Russian railway lines, derailing trains and killing seven passengers. Soon after, Ukraine said Russia launched the largest drone attack of the war so far and used a missile to strike a Ukrainian training camp, killing 12 troops and injuring dozens. Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet in Istanbul on Monday, where they will both present their roadmaps towards peace. Expectations on the meeting are low as each side has so far refused to back down on their key negotiating positions. Ukrainian drones targeted four Russian bases deep behind enemy lines The operation, known as 'Spiderweb' or 'Web', destroyed almost a third of Russia's strategic bombers, Kyiv says Remote-controlled FPV drones were smuggled by Ukraine's security service in trucks close to the bases and then launched The reported damage amounts to $7 billion Russian confirmed the strikes, but claimed 'several' war planes caught fire Donald Trump was not warned in advance of the coordinated attacks A wave of bombing attacks also targeted Russian railways overnight, killing seven passengers A Russian missile hit a Ukrainian training camp, killing 12 soldiers and injuring dozens Russia and Ukraine's second round of direct talks will take place in Instanbul tomorrow morning Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the war The strikes, according to sources, targeted Russia's the long-range nuclear-capable Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear', the Tu-160 'Blackjack', the largest combat aircraft in the world, and the supersonic Tu-22M3 'Backfire'. All the planes are regularly used to strike Ukraine. Ukraine's security service says it wiped out 34 per cent of Russia's strategic missile carriers, amounting to $7 billion in damages. In a post on Telegram, the SBU wrote: '7 billion US dollars. This is the estimated cost of the enemy's strategic aviation, which was hit today as a result of the SBU special operation 'Spiderweb'. '34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main airfields of the Russian Federation were hit. 'We will tell you about the details of the special operation of the Security Service a little later.' Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky's top aide, posted just one emoji online - a spiderweb. The coded message is a reference to Ukraine's 'Operation Spiderweb' that officials claim destroyed 40 of Vladimir Putin's prized strategic bombers across four bases deep inside Russia. Ukraine does not typically comment officially on attacks inside Russian territory, but often alludes to them. There is more reaction coming from Ukraine about its strikes on the bomber bases. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, posted an edited playing card on X that features FPV (first-person-view) drones - the same type used to destroy Russia's strategic bombers today. In an apparent reference to Ukraine still having cards to play before peace negotiations, he captioned the post: 'The King of Drones'. Credit: Via X / United24media Russia has now confirmed that several of its military aircraft 'caught fire' after a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack. 'In the regions of Murmansk and Irkutsk, several aircraft caught fire following the launch of FPV drones from a territory located in the immediate vicinity of the airfields,' the Russian defence ministry said. It added that there were no casualties and that several 'participants' had been arrested. Pro-Kremlin war bloggers are urging Russia's military to use its new intermediate-range ballistic missile, that Vladimir Putin has lauded as 'unstoppable', against Ukraine. On Telegram, prominent bloggers called Ukraine's coordinated drone attacks on strategic bomber bases 'Russia's pearl harbour moment', referencing Japan's 1941 attack on America's Pacific fleet that brought the US into World War Two. Calling for revenge, they said Vladimir Putin should strike Ukraine with the lethal missile, used for the first time in November, which splits into multiple warheads that rain down on targets in a deadly synchronisation. A Russian missile hit a Ukrainian army training site, killing at least 12 soldiers and injuring scores on Sunday. Kyiv did not disclose where the attack occurred, but reports suggest it was in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which borders Donetsk to the east and Kharkiv to the north. 'Twelve people are known to have been killed and more than 60 wounded,' the Ukrainian army said this morning, in a rare acknowledgement of casualties in its ranks. In response to the strike, the commander of Ukraine's land forces, one of the army's most senior military positions, has resigned. Mykhailo Drapatyi called the attack a 'tragedy' and said he had ordered an investigation into the incident. 'Every commander is responsible every day - for orders, for decisions, for people,' he wrote. In late May, a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian training ground in the Sumy region, killing scores of soldiers. Russia claimed the strike killed as many as 70 troops, while Ukraine put the figure at six. Sunday's strike came just after a wave of bombings targeted Russian railway lines overnight, which derailed trains and killed at least seven people. Just hours later, Ukraine destroyed Russian strategic bombers in a mass drone attack on four airfields deep inside Moscow's territory. Credit: Telegram / russianocontext A meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul aimed at paving the way for a potential ceasefire is expected to take place at 1pm local time (11am BST), at the Ciragan Palace, according to the Turkish foreign ministry. The operation to destroy Russian strategic bombers at four Russian airbases, according to Ukrainian sources, first involved Ukraine transporting small kamikaze first-person-view (FPV) drones to Russia. The drones, which were laden with explosives, were allegedly then hidden under the roofs of containers inside trucks. Once the trucks were positioned close to their targets, where the drones would be in range, the lids of the containers were opened remotely and the drones flew on to strike the bombers. Ukrainian negotiators at the talks at Istanbul will present a proposed roadmap for reaching a lasting peace settlement. The proposed roadmap, published by Reuters, begins with a full ceasefire of at least 30 days across land, sea and sky, to be followed by the return of all prisoners held by each side, and of Ukrainian children deported to Russia. A meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Under the blueprint which has been sent to Russia, Moscow and Kyiv - with the participation of the United States and Europe - will work to hash out the terms on which they can agree to put a complete end to their three-year-old war. The terms include no restrictions on Ukraine's military strength after a peace deal is struck, no international recognition of Russian sovereignty over parts of Ukraine taken by Moscow's forces, and reparations for Ukraine. The document also stated that the current location of the front line will be the starting point for negotiations about territory. A Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian army training area killed at least 12 soldiers on Sunday and wounded more than 60 others, the Ukrainian army said. 'Today, on June 1, the enemy launched a missile strike on the location of one of the training units of the Ukrainian army,' it said in a statement. 'As of 12:50 pm (0950 GMT), 12 people are known to have been killed and more than 60 wounded.' The Russian delegation has departed for Istanbul for the next round of talks with Ukraine scheduled for Monday, June 2, state-run RIA news agency reported on Sunday, citing a source. Their departure came after Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine will participate in the talks. Russia launched the biggest number of drones on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion three years ago, Ukraine's air force said Sunday. The air force said 472 drones were launched over Ukraine along with seven missiles. It added that 382 of the drones were shot down or otherwise neutralised, along with three of the missiles. Russia has recently stepped up the amount of drones it launches at Ukraine in its regular nightly barrages. Credit: Stratcom Centre A large explosion has rocked the Russian Arctic city of Severomorsk, which is home to the Northern Fleet's main naval base. Footage showed a large blast, followed by a huge dust cloud, rising above the city. There has not yet been official comment from either Russia or Ukraine on the explosion. Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Ukraine will attend a second round of direct talks with Russia in Istanbul on Monday. 'I outlined (Ukraine's) positions ahead of the meeting in Istanbul on Monday,' Mr Zelensky wrote on Telegram after meeting with his officials. He added that the Ukrainian delegation would once again be headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. For days, there had been uncertainty around Kyiv's attendance at the Russia-proposed meeting after the Kremlin refused to share its peace settlement plans in advance of the high-level meeting. These Ukrainian attacks on Russian air bases look very significant. Even if only some of the claims about the scale of the attacks are true (ie that more than 40 Russian aircraft were destroyed), the fact that you have combined strikes on Murmansk in Russia's far north, more than 1,000 miles from the Ukrainian border, and even more extraordinary the Belaya Base in Irkutsk, 2,500 miles away, is breaking new ground. In March, Ukraine announced it had developed a drone with a range of 3,000km but this appears to go further. Some of the Russian planes allegedly hit are very vital pieces of kit, such as the A-50s, which have a $350m price tag. There has been much talk about an expected Russian summer offensive, but today's attack is Ukraine's June surprise. The drone attacks on Russian air bases come just hours after a wave of explosions rocked the Russian rail network around Ukraine. Bombings targeted bridges and rail lines in regions bordering Ukraine, and inside Ukrainian-occupied territory, in what the Kremlin called 'acts of terrorism'. Seven people died and scores were injured when a passenger train travelling to Moscow was derailed by a collapsed bridge in Bryansk, north of Kyiv. Meanwhile, a freight train was derailed by another fallen bridge in Kursk, the territory that Ukraine seized before being forced out by Russian forces earlier this year. On Saturday, Vladimir Putin was briefed on the alleged attacks by the FSB, Russia's spy agency, the Kremlin said. Ukraine's strategic communications called today's strikes on Russian airfields 'probably the worst day in the history of the Russian air force'. Ukraine destroyed Russian strategic bombers in a mass drone attack on airfields deep inside Moscow's territory. The operation, carried out by Ukraine's security service (SBU), targeted four airfields in what could be the most damaging drone strike of the three-year war. Confirming the strike, an SBU source said: 'Enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia — this is the result of a special operation by the SBU.' Footage from Belaya base in Siberia shows rows of Russian strategic and nuclear bombers burning, while heavy plumes of black smoke were seen rising above Olenya air base in the Arctic. Russia moved its expensive bombers thousands of miles from the frontline to get them out of range of Ukraine's drones. Drones also targeted the Ivanovo air base, northeast of Moscow, and Dyagilevo base, south of the capital. A huge explosion has also rocked the Russian Arctic city of Severomorsk, which is home to the Northern Fleet's main naval base, although the damage is not yet clear. The simultaneous strikes raise questions about the range at which Ukraine can carry out such sophisticated attacks, with some reports suggesting smuggled drones were launched from trucks close to the targets. It comes after a wave of bombings targeting Russian railway lines overnight, which derailed trains and killed at least seven people. Credit: Via Reuters We're bringing you all the latest from the war in Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian drones destroyed Putin's bombers. A secret smuggling operation made it possible
It hardly seemed credible. Drone after drone, emerging from the top of a shipping container parked by the side of an unremarkable road somewhere deep inside Russia. Each tiny device buzzed as it rose laden with explosives on its kamikaze mission to destroy some of the Russian military's most prized assets. As they flew overhead, filming their progress, their targets came into view: rows of strategic bombers, some capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency, the SBU, said it was responsible for the attacks on four bases, and a security official said a total of 41 Russian warplanes worth some $7 billion were hit. The attack comes at a critical juncture in the war, with Donald Trump's peace plan hanging by a thread. But the extraordinary story of how the drones were deployed to launch their attack started many months earlier. Over a period of weeks, they were smuggled into Russia under the supervision of the SBU, which presumably had to alter its targeting plans after Russia relocated the bulk of its strategic bomber fleet. The drones were then concealed inside special containers placed inside commercial cargo lorries whose roof panels had been modified to retract at the touch of a remote control button. By all accounts, the drivers had no idea about the nature of the dangerous cargo they carried. Credit: Telegram / russianocontext Local residents near the Olenya base in Russia's far north described watching a driver running around in panic as FPV drones repeatedly launched from the back of his lorry. He later told police that he had been instructed to park his vehicle in a lay-by near the town of Olenegorsk where somebody would meet him. Footage from elsewhere in Russia showed drones rising from the back of another lorry as passers-by stood by helplessly. It was not the first time that lorries had been used by the Ukrainians in the war. A truck carrying explosives was remotely detonated to help bring down part of the Kerch Bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland in 2020. But this was rather more sophisticated, with reports that the drones had been trained using artificial intelligence to hit the weakest points of the bombers parked along the aprons of the airbases. Fearing Ukraine's growing strike capacity, Russia had only weeks earlier moved many of its strategic bombers to bases like Olenya and Belaya, 1,000km and 2,500km from the front line, where it was assumed they would be well beyond the enemy's reach. Other bases in Ryazan and Ivanovo were also targeted, both of which are within 600 miles of the Ukrainian border. For the Russian air force, the planes targeted were prize assets: the iconic Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear', a long-range strategic bomber capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads; the Tu-160 'Blackjack', the largest combat aircraft in the world, and the Tu-22M3 'Backfire', the supersonic strike workhorse of the fleet. The Russians, however, had not counted on Ukraine's Mossad-like ingenuity nor their desperation to strike at the long-range bombers that had inflicted so much destruction and bloodshed on its cities and people. For the most part, Operation Spiderweb, as it has been designated, did not rely on long-range drones or missiles, but instead on small, hand-held first-person view drones of the kind that has proved so effective on the battlefield. Russian military bloggers were quick to liken it to the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 An exaggeration, clearly — yet in terms of chutzpah, in terms of scope and quite possibly in terms of damage, Ukraine's near-simultaneous attacks on four airfields deep inside Russia marks an unprecedented moment in the war. If Ukrainian officials are to be believed, as many as 40 of Russia's most sophisticated, expensive and destructive strategic bombers were eliminated in little more than a couple of hours. Such claims await the confirmation of an independent battle damage assessment, yet whatever the real number is there can be little doubt what a humiliating blow Ukraine has inflicted on Russia – or what a powerful message Kyiv has sent its allies in the West. For night after night before the surprise assault, Ukraine's cities had reeled under some of the most intense Russian bombardment of the war. Dozens had died, children among them, yet there was no sign of the Kremlin relenting. As his envoys prepared to present his peace terms at a second round of negotiations in Istanbul, Vladimir Putin seemed determined to project Russia's total military dominance. So confident does he remain that his forces will prevail on the battlefield that the Russian president contemptuously ignored requests to share his proposals with Kyiv in advance. Yet hours before the talks were due to begin, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader, had a pointed message of his own to deliver. He had been involved in Operation Spiderweb from its conceptualisation 18 months ago. There had been coordinated attacks on Russian airfields before. On the night of August 13 last year, Ukraine unleashed what was then its largest drone assault of the war on Russian territory, striking four airbases in Kursk, Voronezh and Nizhny Novgorod. Yet these bases were all within a few hundred miles of the Ukrainian border. Operation Spiderweb was conceived on a much, much grander scale. On the night before it was initiated, Ukraine had suffered perhaps its most intense airstrikes of a bloody week, with officials in Kyiv saying that 472 drones and seven ballistic and cruise missiles had struck targets across the country, including the capital. By Sunday morning, Ukraine appeared to have exacted a measure of revenge after two transport bridges were blown up in the neighbouring regions of Bryans and Kursk just as trains were passing. Seven people were killed, Russians officials said, blaming Ukraine. Yet these attacks were but a prelude. Among the planes destroyed, Ukrainian intelligence officials said, were not just Tu-95 and TU-22M3 bombers but also an A-50 'Mainstay', one of just a handful of Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft Russia has left in its arsenal. The A-50, worth an estimated £230 million, is a flying radar and command post that is vital for coordinating fighter jets and air defences as well as for situational awareness. They are thought to be irreplaceable. According to Ukrainian intelligence officials, all those knowingly involved in the operation have returned safely home, their mission accomplished in the most astonishing way.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Wild videos capture fiery scenes from a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian bombers shielded by tires
Ukraine carried out a massive drone attack targeting Russian bombers on Sunday. A Ukrainian security source said at least 40 aircraft were struck in the attack. Footage shows the Ukrainian strikes on Russian bombers shielded only by tires. Ukrainian forces carried out a massive drone attack targeting Russian bombers and other aircraft on Sunday, striking dozens of planes, a security source told Business Insider. The source in the Security Service of Ukraine said that the agency carried out "a large-scale special operation" to destroy Russian bombers deep inside the country. They said that the attack drones hit at least 40 aircraft, including Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control planes and Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-22M strategic bombers. Video footage captured by a drone and obtained by BI shows a row of Russian bombers burning, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air. Another video captures the moment a drone hits an aircraft. At least two bombers in this footage, including the one that gets struck, are covered in tires. Russia has used this tactic throughout the war in an apparent attempt to confuse Ukrainian weapons systems, like drones and missiles, that are looking for the aircraft. "Enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia," the SBU source shared in translated remarks. They said that Ukraine attacked four airbases across Russia and said Moscow's losses amount to billions of dollars, adding that the number of damaged planes could increase. The source said the operation, which was supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, involved more than a year and a half of planning and was "extremely complex from a logistical point of view." The SBU transported numerous small first-person-view (FPV) drones to Russia, along with what looked like wooden shipping crates. Once all the pieces were in the country, the drones were hidden in the crates, which were placed on trucks. On Sunday, the tops of the crates were remotely opened, and the drones flew out. BI could not independently verify the shared details of the operation against Russia. Russia's defense ministry has yet to issue a public statement on the attack, nor did it respond to BI's request for comment on the attack. The Russian embassy was also unresponsive. The Tu-95 and Tu-22M strategic bombers have been used to launch missile strikes against Ukrainian targets. Russia's attacks have intensified recently; Moscow launched more than 900 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles over just a three-day period in late May, officials said. On Sunday, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 472 attack drones and decoy drones — Moscow's biggest bombardment with uncrewed systems so far. Kyiv said 385 enemy air vehicles were taken down. The Ukrainian attack on Sunday marks Ukraine's latest deep strike into Russia. Kyiv's forces have repeatedly used domestically produced drones and missiles to hit airbases, ammunition depots, and weapons-making sites far behind enemy lines over the past year. Read the original article on Business Insider
