Ukraine claims that more than 40 Russian war planes have struck in massive drone strikes

Ukraine claims to have struck more than 40 Russian bombers in a number of military bases, in one of its most daring drone attacks since the start of the war.

Sources of the Ukraine Security Service, SBU, said that BBC strategic bombers were “burned en masse” in an operation called “Spider’s Web”, personally supervised by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The sources said that it had taken a year and a half to organize the strikes: drones hidden in wooden mobile cabins with distance opening roofs had been placed on trucks brought near the air bases and then drawn “at the right time”.

Russia soldiers later confirmed the Ukrainian attacks on Sunday in five regions calling them a “terrorist act”.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities reported a huge attack on drones and missiles on its territory.

All this comes as a Russian and Ukrainian negotiators go to Istanbul, Turkey, for a second cycle of peace talks on Monday.

The expectations are low, because the two sides at war are far from the way of ending the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a large -scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Moscow currently controls around 20% of the Ukrainian territory, including the South Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014.

BBC sources in the SBU have declared that four Russian air bases – including two thousands of kilometers from Ukraine – have been affected:

• Belaya in Irkutsk Oblast (Region), Siberia

• OLENYA in the Murmansk Oblast, the far northwest of Russia

• Dyagilevo and Central Ryazan Power

• Ivanovo in the center of Ivanovo Oblast

Russia later said that it had been faced with attacks on sites in five regions.

The SBU sources said that among successful Russian planes were strategic nuclear bombers called Tu-95 and Tu-22m3, as well as early A-50 alarms.

They described the entire operation as “extremely complex logistics”.

“Sbu’s smuggling FPV drones in Russia, followed later by mobile wooden cabins. Once on Russian territory, drones were hidden under the roofs of these cabins, which had been placed on freight vehicles,” the sources said.

“At the right time, the roofs were opened at a distance and the drones took off to hit the Russian bombers.”

Irkoutsk Governor Igor Kobzev confirmed that drones who attacked the Belaya military base in Sredniy, Siberia, were launched from a truck.

Kobzev posted on Telegram to say that the launch site had been secured and that there was no threat to life.

The Russian media also pointed out that other attacks had also started with drones emerging from trucks.

We hear a user saying that drones were flying from a Kamaz truck near a service station.

BBC sources in the SBU have said that “preliminary estimates suggest that damage inflicted on Russian aviation exceeds $ 2 billion (1.5 billion pounds sterling)”.

The Russian media reported the attack on Murmansk, but said the air defenses were working. The attack in Irkutsk was also reported.

In an article on social networks later Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the air bases in the five regions of the country were attacks.

He said that “all attacks have been pushed” on military bases in the Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions. This last basis was not mentioned by SBU sources.

In the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, “several planes caught fire” after the launch of drones from neighboring areas, the ministry said.

He said that all the flames died and that there was no victim. “Some participants in terrorist attacks have been detained,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities say that 472 drones and seven ballistic and cruise missiles were involved in a wave of attacks against Ukraine last night.

This would seem to be one of the largest Russian drone attacks so far. Ukraine says it has “neutralized” 385 air targets.

In separate development, Ukraine’s land forces said 12 of its soldiers had been killed and more than 60 injured in a Russian missile strike on a training center.

Ukraine’s head of land forces, Major Gen Mykhailo Dracatyi, submitted his resignation shortly after.

He said that his decision was “dictated by my personal sense of responsibility for the tragedy”.