Ukraine claimed on Sunday to have carried out its longest-range attack yet in the ongoing war with Russia. In this operation, Ukraine’s security service (SBU) stated that it used 117 drones under a mission codenamed “Spider’s Web” to strike four Russian military airfields.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 40 Russian warplanes were targeted in the attack. He claimed that the operation impacted 34 percent of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers.
According to SBU sources, it took a year and a half to prepare for this attack. The drones were hidden inside wooden mobile cabins and transported near the airbases using vehicles equipped with remote-controlled roofs. They were then launched at the “right moment.”
Russia has confirmed Ukrainian attacks in five of its regions and labeled them as “terrorist acts.” On the other hand, Ukrainian officials have also reported large-scale drone and missile attacks on their own territory.
Amid these events, negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are heading to Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday for the second round of peace talks. However, expectations remain low due to significant disagreements between the two sides on how to end the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Currently, Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the southern Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.
Late Sunday, President Zelenskyy congratulated SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk on social media, praising the operation as an “exceptional result.”
