'Ukrainian drone strike destroys over 40 Russian aircraft deep inside Russia': Officials
A Ukrainian security official said on Sunday that a drone strike carried out by Ukraine had destroyed over 40 Russian aircraft inside Russian territory, according to a report by Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported on Sunday that it faced an unprecedented overnight assault, with 472 Russian drones launched across its territory - the highest number recorded since the invasion began in February 2022.
The Ukrainian air force said it had neautralised 385 of those drones, along with seven missiles also fired by Russia. An air force spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the scale of the drone attack marked a new record.
The intensifying attacks on both sides took place just a day before Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to hold direct talks in Istanbul.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose operational details, said the attack took over 1 1/2-year to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, AP reported.
The operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks deep into Russian territory, he said.
The drones reportedly hit 41 bombers stationed at several airfields on Sunday afternoon, including the Belaya air base in Russia’s Irkutsk region, more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine.
It is the first time that a Ukrainian drone has been seen in the region, local Gov. Igor Kobzev said. He also said in a statement that the drone had been launched from a truck.
Russian officials in the Ryazan and Murmansk regions also reported drone activity on Sunday afternoon, but did not give further details.
In a statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy said that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation.
“We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian officials had earlier urged the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum outlining its position on ending the war before the meeting. Moscow had stated it would present the memorandum during the talks.
Advertising by Adpathway
