Ukraine carries out massive drone attack on Russia, targets 40 military aircraft after Moscow's record 472 drone assault

Ukraine launched a large-scale drone assault on multiple Russian air bases Sunday (June 1), reportedly striking more than 40 military aircraft in what could be one of the most damaging Ukrainian drone attacks since the war began, Reuters cited a Ukrainian security official as saying.

The official said the strikes were carried out by Ukraine’s SBU domestic intelligence agency and targeted four Russian military airfields simultaneously. Among the aircraft reportedly hit were Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers– long-range jets that Moscow has used to launch missile attacks against Ukrainian territory.

If confirmed, the strikes would mark a significant setback for Russia, as strategic bombers have been a key component of its aerial assault campaign.

Video footage shared by the source appeared to show several large aircraft engulfed in flames, some resembling Tu-95 bombers. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims or the authenticity of the footage.

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Ukraine, which lacks the long-range missile capabilities of Russia, has increasingly relied on domestically developed attack drones to target Russian military infrastructure and energy facilities

Russian drone attacks on Ukraine

Separately, the Ukrainian Air Force on Sunday said that Russia launched 472 drones and seven missiles towards Ukrainian territory overnight– a record since the beginning of the war.

Ukraine’s air force said that 385 of the aerial weapons launched by Moscow were neutralised. AFP cited an air force spokesperson as saying that it was the largest Russian drone attack since the invasion in February 2022.

Both these developments have come ahead of talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul.

With inputs from agencies