Kyiv/Moscow – Ukraine has launched what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the country’s “longest-range operation” to date, striking deep into Russian territory and destroying military aircraft worth an estimated $7 billion. The audacious attacks targeted airbases as far away as Siberia, dealing a significant blow to Russia’s aerial operations.
According to Ukrainian intelligence sources cited by Reuters, the operation involved concealing explosive-laden drones within wooden shed roofs, transporting them by truck to the perimeters of Russian airbases. At least 41 warplanes were hit, the sources said.
Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari described the assault as a “simultaneous large-scale attack” launched from inside Russia, aimed at aircraft used in strikes against Ukrainian territory.
Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported that there were no military or civilian casualties and that several suspects had been detained in connection with the attack.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Air Force reported an unprecedented wave of Russian drone strikes overnight, with 472 drones launched—marking the highest single-night total since the war began. Russia also fired seven missiles across Ukrainian territory.
One of the strikes targeted a Ukrainian military training ground, killing 12 soldiers and wounding more than 60, according to Ukraine’s Ground Forces. In response, Ground Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi announced his resignation, citing a “personal sense of responsibility” for the casualties.
Inside Russia, chaos unfolded as two bridges collapsed in border regions. In Bryansk, a railway bridge collapsed onto a passenger train, killing at least seven and injuring 69. Moscow Railway blamed the incident on “illegal interference in the operation of transport.” In the Kursk region, another bridge collapse led to a freight train derailment, injuring the driver. A separate Ukrainian drone attack on Kursk sparked fires after debris landed on residential homes, local officials said.