KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian drone assault has destroyed greater than 40 Russian planes deep in Russia’s territory, Ukraine’s Safety Service mentioned on Sunday, whereas Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones simply hours earlier than a new round of direct peace talks in Istanbul.
A army official, who spoke with the Related Press on situation of anonymity to reveal operational particulars, mentioned the far-reaching assault took greater than a yr and a half to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In his night handle, Zelenskyy mentioned that 117 drones had been used within the operation. He claimed the operation had been headquartered out of an workplace subsequent to the native FSB headquarters. The FSB is the Russian intelligence and safety service.
The army supply mentioned it was an “extraordinarily complicated” operation, involving the smuggling of first-person view, or FPV, drones to Russia, the place they have been then positioned in cellular wood homes.
“Later, drones have been hidden below the roofs of those homes whereas already positioned on vans. On the proper second, the roofs of the homes have been remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,” the supply mentioned.
Social media footage shared by Russian media appeared to indicate the drones rising from inside containers whereas different panels lay discarded on the street. One clip appeared to indicate males climbing onto a truck in an try and halt the drones.
Lengthy-range bombers focused
The drones hit 41 planes stationed at army airfields on Sunday afternoon, together with A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M plane, the official mentioned. Moscow has beforehand used Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers to launch missiles at Ukraine, whereas A-50s are used to coordinate targets and detect air defenses and guided missiles.
The Safety Service of Ukraine mentioned that the operation, which it codenamed “Net”, had destroyed 34% of Russia’s fleet of air missile carriers with damages estimated at $7 billion. The declare couldn’t be independently verified.
Russia’s Protection Ministry in an announcement confirmed the assaults, which broken plane and sparked fires on air bases within the Irkutsk area, greater than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine, in addition to the Murmansk area within the north, it mentioned. Strikes have been additionally repelled within the Amur area in Russia’s Far East and within the western areas of Ivanovo and Ryazan, the ministry mentioned.
Additionally on Sunday, Russia’s prime investigative physique mentioned that explosions had brought about two bridges to collapse and derailed two trains in western Russia in a single day, killing seven in one of many incidents and injuring dozens extra. Russian officers, nonetheless, didn’t say what had brought about the blasts and the phrase “explosions” was later faraway from an Investigative Committee press launch.
Assault forward of talks
The drone assault got here the identical day as Zelenskyy mentioned Ukraine will ship a delegation to Istanbul for a brand new spherical of direct peace talks with Russia on Monday.
In an announcement on Telegram, Zelenskyy mentioned that Protection Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation. “We’re doing all the things to guard our independence, our state and our folks,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
Ukrainian officers had beforehand known as on the Kremlin to offer a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the conflict earlier than the assembly takes place. Moscow had mentioned it could share its memorandum throughout the talks.
Russian strike hits a military unit
Russia on Sunday launched the most important variety of drones — 472 — on Ukraine for the reason that full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s air pressure mentioned.
Russian forces additionally launched seven missiles alongside the barrage of drones, mentioned Yuriy Ignat, head of communications for the air pressure. Earlier Sunday, Ukraine’s military mentioned a minimum of 12 Ukrainian service members have been killed and greater than 60 have been injured in a Russian missile strike on a military coaching unit.
Ukrainian military commander Mykhailo Drapatyi later Sunday submitted his resignation following the assault. He was a revered commander whose management noticed Ukraine regain land on the japanese entrance for the primary time since Kyiv’s 2022 counteroffensive.
The coaching unit was positioned to the rear of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) energetic entrance line, the place Russian reconnaissance and strike drones are in a position to strike. Ukraine’s forces lack troops and take additional precautions to keep away from mass gatherings because the skies throughout the entrance line are saturated with Russian drones on the lookout for targets.
Observe AP’s protection of the conflict in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
