Addis Ababa: In a significant escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Kyiv has launched a surprise drone strike targeting Russian military airbases. The operation comes just ahead of the second round of peace talks scheduled to resume in Istanbul, Trkiye.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, Ukraine announced on Sunday that it had targeted Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia. An official from Ukraine revealed that at least 40 Russian warplanes were struck during the operation. President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the attack as “an absolutely brilliant result,” noting that the planning for the operation began 18 months ago.

In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, Zelensky described the operation as the “longest-range operation” executed independently by Ukraine, emphasizing the extensive preparation time involved. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that Russian military planes worth a combined $7 billion were hit in the operation. The agency highlighted this figure in a social media post, underscoring the financial impact on Russia’s strategic aviation.

The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine had launched drone strikes targeting military airfields across five regions on Sunday, with several aircraft catching fire as a result. The affected regions included Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur. The ministry claimed that air defenses managed to repel the attacks in all but Murmansk and Irkutsk, where FPV drones launched from areas near the airfields caused significant damage.

In response, Russia reportedly launched over 400 drones at Ukraine, marking what Kyiv described as the largest drone assault of the war to date. Additionally, Russia claimed to have advanced further into the Sumy region of Ukraine. As tensions continue to escalate, Russian and Ukrainian officials are set to meet in Istanbul for peace negotiations.