Moscow: Ukraine on Sunday launched one of its largest drone-based operations on Russia to date, striking a base in eastern Siberia thousands of kilometres (miles) from its border. The Russian governor of the Irkutsk region confirmed the attack, saying Ukrainian remote-piloted aircraft attacked a military unit in the village of Sridni, which is the first such attack in Siberia.
Ukrainian media claimed that a large-scale special operation by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has struck “more than 40” Russian aircraft at air bases in the “rear of the Russian Federation”. Citing officials, Reuters reported that the strikes conducted by the SBU had simultaneously hit four Russian military air bases on Sunday, including airfields at Olenya and Belaya.
The aircraft destroyed in the attack included Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, and at least one A-50, according to a report by Kyiv Independent, citing sources. The attack is aimed at destroying enemy bombers far from the front, in Russia, as an international news agency reported, quoting a source, who added that a fire broke out at the targeted Belaya air base.
If confirmed, the strikes would be the most damaging Ukrainian drone attack of the war and would be a significant setback for Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia’s Irkutsk region governor confirms 1st DRONE attack in Siberia. Army and civilian responders have already mobilised to tackle the threat. The operation has been launched under a special operation code-named “Pavutyna” – or “Web” – aimed at degrading Russia’s long-range strike capabilities, according to a Ukrainian publication, Pravda.
Ukraine, which lacks Russia’s vast arsenal of missiles, has instead built up a large fleet of attack drones, which it has used to attack Russian military and oil facilities in the past as well. Russia had proposed a fresh round of talks in Istanbul on Monday, a proposal that Kyiv accepted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a delegation led by his minister Rustem Umerov will be in Istanbul on Monday for talks with Russia.
