KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian drone onslaught has destroyed much than 40 Russian planes heavy successful Russia’s territory, Ukraine’s Security Service said connected Sunday, while Moscow pounded Ukraine pinch missiles and drones conscionable hours earlier a new information of nonstop bid talks successful Istanbul.
A subject official, who said pinch nan Associated Press connected information of anonymity to disclose operational details, said nan far-reaching onslaught took much than a twelvemonth and a half to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In his evening address, Zelenskyy said that 117 drones had been utilized successful nan operation. He claimed nan cognition had been headquartered retired of an agency adjacent to nan section FSB headquarters. The FSB is nan Russian intelligence and information service.
The subject root said it was an “extremely complex” operation, involving nan smuggling of first-person view, aliases FPV, drones to Russia, wherever they were past placed successful mobile woody houses.
“Later, drones were hidden nether nan roofs of these houses while already placed connected trucks. At nan correct moment, nan roofs of nan houses were remotely opened, and nan drones flew to deed Russian bombers,” nan root said.
Social media footage shared by Russian media appeared to show nan drones rising from wrong containers while different panels laic discarded connected nan road. One clip appeared to show men climbing onto a motortruck successful an effort to halt nan drones.
Long-range bombers targeted
The drones deed 41 planes stationed astatine subject airfields connected Sunday afternoon, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M aircraft, nan charismatic said. Moscow has antecedently utilized Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers to motorboat missiles astatine Ukraine, while A-50s are utilized to coordinate targets and observe aerial defenses and guided missiles.
The Security Service of Ukraine said that nan operation, which it codenamed “Web”, had destroyed 34% of Russia’s fleet of aerial rocket carriers pinch damages estimated astatine $7 billion. The declare could not beryllium independently verified.
Russia’s Defense Ministry successful a connection confirmed nan attacks, which damaged craft and sparked fires connected aerial bases successful nan Irkutsk region, much than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic nan Murmansk region successful nan north, it said. Strikes were besides repelled successful nan Amur region successful Russia’s Far East and successful nan occidental regions of Ivanovo and Ryazan, nan ministry said.
Also connected Sunday, Russia’s apical investigative assemblage said that explosions had caused two bridges to collapse and derailed 2 trains successful occidental Russia overnight, sidesplitting 7 successful 1 of nan incidents and injuring dozens more. Russian officials, however, did not opportunity what had caused nan blasts and nan connection “explosions” was later removed from an Investigative Committee property release.
Attack up of talks
The drone onslaught came nan aforesaid time arsenic Zelenskyy said Ukraine will nonstop a delegation to Istanbul for a caller information of nonstop bid talks pinch Russia connected Monday.
In a connection connected Telegram, Zelenskyy said that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead nan Ukrainian delegation. “We are doing everything to protect our independence, our authorities and our people,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian officials had antecedently called connected nan Kremlin to supply a promised memorandum mounting retired its position connected ending nan warfare earlier nan gathering takes place. Moscow had said it would stock its memorandum during nan talks.
Russian onslaught hits an service unit
Russia connected Sunday launched nan biggest number of drones — 472 — connected Ukraine since nan full-scale penetration successful February 2022, Ukraine’s aerial unit said.
Russian forces besides launched 7 missiles alongside nan barrage of drones, said Yuriy Ignat, caput of communications for nan aerial force. Earlier Sunday, Ukraine’s service said astatine slightest 12 Ukrainian work members were killed and much than 60 were injured successful a Russian rocket onslaught connected an service training unit.
Ukrainian service commandant Mykhailo Drapatyi later Sunday submitted his resignation pursuing nan attack. He was a respected commandant whose activity saw Ukraine regain onshore connected nan eastbound beforehand for nan first clip since Kyiv’s 2022 counteroffensive.
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The training portion was located to nan rear of nan 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) progressive beforehand line, wherever Russian reconnaissance and onslaught drones are capable to strike. Ukraine’s forces deficiency troops and return other precautions to debar wide gatherings arsenic nan skies crossed nan beforehand statement are saturated pinch Russian drones looking for targets.
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Follow AP’s sum of nan warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine