Latest news with #UkrainianMilitary
ABC News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Ukraine destroys dozens of Russian aircraft in audacious strike
Isabella Higgins: Dubbed Operation Spider Web, a strike deep into the heart of Russia that could shift the strategic balance of the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian drones struck a number of airbases, destroying dozens of aircraft worth billions of dollars. And it comes on the eve of peace talks. Let's get more on this from Europe Bureau Chief, Mazoe Ford. Mazoe, what do we know about this Ukrainian operation? Mazoe Ford: Good morning, Isabella. This operation was codenamed Spider's Web. It took a year and a half to plan and it was one of Kyiv's most audacious attacks on Russia so far. It was personally overseen by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President, and it was all done without the knowledge of the United States. These Ukrainian drones attacked four airfields from the west of Russia to Moscow and even reaching the Far East, thousands of kilometres from Ukraine. And Ukraine claims to have damaged or destroyed 40 Russian warplanes. This is interesting because the drones were smuggled into Russia. They were loaded onto trucks and driven to locations near the airbases before being launched remotely. And drones have, of course, struck inside Russia and attacked aircraft before, but never on this scale. Russia says it's repelled most of the attacks and has detained some of the people involved. But Isabella, the Kremlin will be fuming about this because it's highly embarrassing. They always claim to be the stronger country militarily and yet Ukraine has managed to sneak in and do this. Isabella Higgins: And Mazoe, this comes ahead of more peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul later today. What chance do they have? Mazoe Ford: Well, after a weekend of fighting on both sides, the Russians continued to attack Ukraine with its drones and 472 went across on Saturday night local time, the largest number in a single night. So with that and with these Ukrainian strikes into Russia, you've got to imagine that going into these talks, the sides are going to be very prickly with one another. The Russians have touched down in Istanbul and they've not yet said what their terms are for this second round of talks in the past month. Ukraine is on the way. It says it's repeated its call for a complete and unconditional ceasefire, the release of prisoners and a return of the abducted children. But both sides are going to be back in this room on Monday afternoon local time, but they still enter it very, very far apart. Isabella Higgins: Europe Bureau Chief Mazoe Ford reporting there.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelensky salutes drone attack on Russia: ‘Absolutely brilliant result'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday touted the 'absolutely brilliant result' of a large-scale drone attack on Russian strategic bombers. 'Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk delivered a report regarding today's operation. An absolutely brilliant result,' Zelensky said in an afternoon post on the social platform X. 'A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation,' he continued. A military official told The Associated Press that the drones hit 41 planes stationed at military airfields on Sunday afternoon, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M aircraft. Moscow has previously used Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers to launch missiles at Ukraine, while A-50s are used to coordinate targets and detect air defenses and guided missiles, the AP reported. The military source said the complex attack included smuggling of first-person view drones into Russia, where they were then placed in mobile wooden houses. 'Later, drones were hidden under the roofs of these houses while already placed on trucks. At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,' the official told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose details of the military operation. Zelensky said Ukrainian officials involved in planning of the operation were withdrawn from Russia with enough time to spare. 'Of course, not everything can be revealed at this moment, but these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books,' Zelensky added in his post. 'Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so — 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!' he continued. The attack comes a day ahead of the next scheduled ceasefire talks in Turkey with Russia. Reuters reported on Sunday that it had obtained a copy of Ukraine's demands in the talks, which include 'full and unconditional ceasefire' and not making Kyiv stay diplomatically neutral, among other issues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
7 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
Monday Briefing: Ukraine bombarded Russian air bases
Before negotiations, Ukraine and Russia traded blows Ukraine mounted one of its broadest assaults of the war against air bases inside Russia yesterday, a coordinated drone operation that left aircraft smoldering in multiple regions, including as far away as Siberia. Kyiv also suffered a damaging blow when a Russian missile struck a Ukrainian military training base, killing at least 12 soldiers. Hours before that strike, Russia launched what Ukrainian officials said was the largest combined overnight aerial assault on the country since the start of the war. The fighting escalated even as delegations from Ukraine and Russia were expected to sit down for cease-fire negotiations today in Istanbul. Details: A Ukrainian security official said that Ukrainian officers had secretly transported drones on trucks into Russia and launched them from those vehicles. He said that dozens of aircraft had been damaged in the strikes. Quotable: A Russian military blogger described the attack as a 'black day for Russian long-range aviation.' Talks: During a previous round of talks in Istanbul, both sides agreed to share their peace terms. Since then, Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of stalling. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
8 hours 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.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
At last, Putin is getting a taste of his own medicine
Sunday, June 1, may go down as one of the most significant days of this war. It may be a sign that the pendulum is at last swinging in Ukraine's favour. The Russian Air Force has apparently just suffered a terrible blow, with up to 40 fighter jets, including long range nuclear bombers, destroyed thousands of miles from Ukraine. In what could be a sequential attack, the Russian rail network near the Ukraine border has been decimated by several strikes, and even Russian bases in the Arctic have been hit. This would have been considered unthinkable a few months ago, including by Putin no doubt. It is seemingly now apparent that restrictions of the use of Western weapons by Ukraine are being lifted. This brings into range anything within 500kms of Ukraine – including Moscow. The Ukrainian military has also confirmed they had developed a drone with a range of over 3,000kms. Indeed, we may have seen both these capabilities in action today, and even the great Russian propaganda and disinformation machine will struggle to portray this as anything but a disaster for Putin and the Russian forces. Where is all the air defence protecting these airfields and trains? Perhaps protecting Putin's palaces, or given away to North Korea in return for ammunition? The timing of these attacks is significant: discontent is mounting in Russia amongst the rank and file. As Putin drives their economy and way of life into the deck, rumblings of rebellion will be even harder to stifle. This is not one way traffic and Russia also launched a massive drone attack over the weekend, almost exclusively hitting civilian targets. Putin seems to believe if you kill enough people they will acquiesce and give up, but his instincts and his tactics could soon bite him back hard, very hard. Now that much of Russia is now in range of Kyiv attacks, be it drones, missiles or the frighteningly efficient assassins of Ukraine's secret service the SBU, how will the Kremlin respond? This bold action also lays bare the inadequacies of the UK military. Could Britain execute such ingenious and effective attacks, after 20 years of funding cuts and neglect from successive governments, such that the only way we can ensure the security of our Islands in future is through the re-introduction of tactical nuclear weapons? Putin has exploited our lack of conventional deterrence for too long, but he respects strength, and nothing shows strength in this context more than nuclear capability. The level, range and intensity of these attacks shows that after three years of repelling Russian attacks, Ukraine is now returning the compliment. As the UK Strategic Defence Review is unveiled, let us hope it reveals that we are now learning from the Ukrainian experience and developing capabilities for tomorrow's battlefield and capabilities which will deter tyrants like Putin, rather than just kit that looks good on the parade ground. 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.
