Ukraine launched a mass drone attack called "Operation Spider Web," hitting several Russian airbases deep in Russian territory. The attack coincided with Moscow and Kyiv's preparations for peace talks to be held in Istanbul.
The SBU reportedly carried out the strikes, targeting a minimum of 41 aircraft thought to have been deployed for use in bombing raids against Ukrainian cities. They included strategic bombers like the Tu-22 and Tu-95, as well as A-50 airborne early warning and control planes.
The SBU said the drone operation caused about $7 billion in damage to Russian military aviation resources.
"$7 billion: This is the estimated cost of the enemy's strategic aviation, which was hit today as a result of the SBU's special operation," the agency posted on social media.
Russia confirmed the drone attacks, stating they were intercepted across several regions, including Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur.
"No casualties were registered either among the servicemen or civilians. Some of the participants of the terror acts were detained," the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement issued Sunday.
Further reports from Russian authorities reported that in Murmansk and Irkutsk, drones launched from surrounding areas caused fires on several aircraft. Although damaged, there were no injuries to military or civilian staff.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the mission, terming it a very well-planned and highly successful operation.
"Today, a master operation was conducted -- on enemy soil, against military targets only, namely the hardware used to attack Ukraine. Russia incurred huge losses -- fully justified and earned. Preparation lasted more than a year and a half. Planning, organization, each detail was impeccably done. This was, undoubtedly, an entirely special operation," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Zelensky reported that the operation utilized 117 drones and had an equivalent number of trained operators. He further indicated that about 34 percent of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers at the targeted bases were destroyed.
"Our troops worked in various Russian regions -- in three time zones. It's really pleasant when something I sanctioned a year and six months ago becomes a reality and deprives Russians of more than forty units of strategic aviation. We will go on doing this," he stated.
Reports state that the mission involved intricate logistical planning. Drones were secretly smuggled into Russia ahead of time, hidden under the roofs of wooden cabins fixed on trucks. These roofs were said to be opened remotely when it was time to send the drones towards nearby airfields.
The Russian Defence Ministry admitted that a number of its aircraft were destroyed in the strikes.
"In the wake of the launch of FPV drones from the territory in close proximity to the military airfields of the Murmansk and Irkutsk Regions, some aircraft blazed. The blazes were put out," the ministry reported.
In the meantime, the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are set to proceed directly on Monday in Istanbul, which will be the second round of direct negotiations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had previously declared the meeting to take place on May 28. The timing of the Ukrainian drone raids, however, has come under criticism from Moscow.
Rodion Miroshnik, Russia's Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large specializing in Kyiv's alleged war crimes, blamed Ukraine for attempting to "destabilise the situation" just before the diplomatic breakthrough, terming such actions as "inadmissible."
Moreover, on Sunday, Lavrov spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the two men "discussed different initiatives on a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, including proposals for the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian consultations in Istanbul on June 2."
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