In a stunning escalation of the conflict, Ukrainian forces launched a high-stakes drone assault deep inside Russian territory on Sunday, decimating a fleet of warplanes stationed at multiple airfields. The strike, which Ukrainian officials say took over a year to plan, crippled 40 Russian aircraft in a single afternoon, including strategic bombers and advanced reconnaissance planes.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the attack, acknowledging that five airbases had come under fire from Ukrainian drones.
The scale and precision of the operation have rattled Moscow. According to Ukrainian officials, drones were covertly transported inside containers loaded on trucks, then launched from within Russian borders. The aerial ambush targeted prized aircraft like the A-50 airborne early warning systems and the long-range Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers, key tools in Russia’s missile assaults against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s Direct Oversight
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sources say, was directly involved in overseeing the mission.
“We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people,” Zelenskyy declared in a statement following the strike.
While the Biden administration had previously expressed concern over Ukrainian operations on Russian soil, the White House told that former President Donald Trump and his team were not informed of the strike in advance.
Ceasefire Talks Shadowed by Explosions
The timing of the strike is no accident. The attack comes just a day before Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to resume ceasefire talks in Istanbul. It also follows a spate of mysterious explosions inside Russia further complicating the road to peace.
On Saturday night, Russian investigators reported that a highway bridge in the Bryansk region was bombed just as a passenger train carrying 388 people passed beneath it. Mere hours later, a second blast took out a railway bridge in neighboring Kursk, hurling debris onto a highway below. While Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for either incident, the strategic nature of the targets raises few doubts.
A Tactical Shift in the War
Sunday’s operation signals a dramatic evolution in Ukraine’s military capabilities and its willingness to take the war to Russian soil. The inclusion of the A-50 aircraft on Ukraine’s target list is especially significant; these planes play a critical role in Russia’s surveillance and missile guidance network.
Moscow has long relied on the Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers to rain cruise missiles on Ukrainian infrastructure. By eliminating those tools at the source, Ukraine may be seeking to reshape the battlefield in its favor ahead of what could be a decisive summer.
What’s Next?
The ripple effects of this strike will be felt far beyond the targeted airfields. As Ukraine demonstrates growing sophistication and reach, Russia faces mounting pressure to reinforce its own rear defenses, once thought to be untouchable.
Meanwhile, all eyes now turn to Istanbul, where negotiators are set to resume fragile peace talks under the cloud of escalating violence. Whether Sunday’s attack bolsters Ukraine’s leverage or torpedoes diplomatic momentum remains to be seen.
For now, one thing is clear: Ukraine is no longer playing defense.
