Russia confirms Ukrainian drone strikes on 5 air bases

Moscow: Russian Defence Ministry on Sunday confirmed that five air bases were attacked by Ukrainian drones damaging an unspecified number of aircraft.

Ukraine claimed that it has destroyed about 40 Russian aircraft including nuclear capable TU-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers in Sunday’s massive drone strikes on Russian bases in an operation prepared by Ukrainian Security Service - SBU during 11 months.

“Today, the Kyiv regime staged a terror attack with the use of FPV drones on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions. All terror attacks on military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions were repelled,” “No casualties were reported either among servicemen or civilians. Some of those involved in the terror attacks were detained,” the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

For the first time it was established that Olenogorsk (Murmansk region) and Sredny (Irkutsk region in Siberia) were attacked from close proximity by using trailer trucks by the attackers.

“As a result of the launch of FPV drones from territories in the close proximity to military airfields in the Murmansk and Irkutsk Regions, several aircraft caught fire. The fires were extinguished,” the Russian MoD said.

Observers here speculate that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to pressurise Moscow on the eve of tomorrow's second round of peace talks in Istanbul. The Russian delegation led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medynsky has already reached Turkey for Monday’s talks.

However, experts opine that there is little hope of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.