Ukraine launched Operation Spider Web against Russia, carrying out massive drone attacks targeting several airfields deep across the Russian territories. This military action came against the backdrop of scheduled peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
According to the reports, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) struck at least 41 aircraft, which it claimed were used to bomb Ukrainian cities. These included Tu-22 and Tu-95 strategic bombers and the A-50 radar detection and command aircraft.
It also alleged that it hit Russian military planes worth $7 billion in drone strikes."$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 announced on social media.
Russia, confirming the incident, stated that the attacks were repelled in the regions of Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur."No casualties were reported either among servicemen or civilians. Some of those involved in the terror attacks were detained," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
It added that in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, drones launched from areas near the airfields caused several aircraft to catch fire, while there were no casualties among military personnel or civilian staff.
"Today, a brilliant operation was carried out on enemy territory, targeting only military objectives, specifically the equipment used to strike Ukraine. Russia suffered significant losses -- entirely justified and deserved.
The preparation took over a year and a half. Planning, organisation, every detail was perfectly executed. It can be said with confidence that this was an absolutely unique operation," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a post on X
He mentioned that in total, 117 drones were used in the operation, with a corresponding number of drone operators involved. Additionally, 34 per cent of the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at air bases were hit.
"Our people operated across several Russian regions in three different time zones. It's genuinely satisfying when something I authorised a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation. We will continue this work," he added.
The planning of the operation involved particularly complex logistics. Drones were secretly brought into Russia ahead of time, hidden under the roofs of wooden cabins mounted on trucks, according to media reports.
When it was time for the attack, the roofs of these structures were opened remotely, allowing the drones to fly toward their short-distance targets, the reports suggest.Russia acknowledged that several of its aircraft "caught fire" in the attacks.
"As a result of the launch of FPV drones from territories in close proximity to military airfields in the Murmansk and Irkutsk Regions, several aircraft caught fire. The fires were extinguished," the Russian defence ministry's statement read.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to hold the second round of direct talks in Istanbul.The new meeting was announced on May 28 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large on Kyiv's War Crimes, Rodion Miroshnik, slammed Ukraine, stating that Kyiv is "destabilising the situation" ahead of talks in Istanbul, which is inadmissible.
Earlier on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a telephonic conversation discussed the situation centering the Ukrainian crisis, the Russian foreign ministry said.
"Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio exchanged views on various initiatives on a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, including plans for the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on June 2," it said.