KYIV: Ukraine claims to have carried out its largest long-range drone attack of the war so far, targeting 40 Russian warplanes across four military bases.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 117 drones were deployed in what has been dubbed the “Spider’s Web” operation, carried out by Ukraine’s SBU security agency.
According to Zelensky, the strikes hit around 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers, BBC reported.
Sources within the SBU told the BBC the operation took about 18 months to prepare, according to BBC.
The drones were reportedly smuggled into Russia concealed inside wooden mobile cabins mounted on trucks.
These cabins had remote-controlled roofs that allowed the drones to be launched at a precise moment.
Russia confirmed that several regions came under Ukrainian attack, labeling the action a “terrorist act.”
At the same time, Ukrainian officials reported a large-scale overnight assault involving drones and missiles on their own territory.
These events come as Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to meet in Istanbul on Monday for a new round of peace talks. However, hopes remain low due to deep divisions over how to resolve the conflict.
The war began when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow currently occupies around 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
In social media posts late Sunday, Zelensky praised SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk for the “brilliant result” of the operation, noting that each drone had its own pilot. He also revealed that the Ukrainian command center for the mission was set up near a regional office of Russia’s FSB security service.
Zelensky stated that all personnel involved were safely evacuated from Russian territory before the strikes. The SBU has estimated the damage inflicted on Russia’s strategic air fleet at around $7 billion, promising to disclose more information soon.
The Ukrainian claims have not yet been independently verified.
(With inputs from international news agencies)
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