Ukraine Claims Over 40 Russian Aircraft Hit in Massive Drone Attack on Air Bases
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on Sunday claimed its forces conducted a major drone offensive, hitting over 40 Russian military aircraft, including strategic bombers, at multiple air bases deep inside Russian territory. This bold operation, reportedly codenamed “Web” (“Pavutyna”), marks a significant escalation and, if fully confirmed, would be one of the most damaging strikes on Russia’s military infrastructure since the war began.
Officials from the SBU, speaking to news agencies like Reuters and Ukrainian media outlets such as the Kyiv Post, stated that the targets included Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers – aircraft Russia deploys to fire long-range missiles at Ukraine – as well as at least one A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. The attacks reportedly targeted four key Russian airbases: Belaya (Irkutsk region), Diaghilevo (Ryazan region), Olenya (Murmansk region), and Ivanovo.
Igor Kobzev, the regional governor of Russia’s Irkutsk region in Siberia, confirmed a drone attack on a military unit in the Sredny settlement, marking the first such strike in that area. He stated that emergency services were engaged but provided no details on damage. Similarly, Murmansk Governor Andrey Chibis confirmed “enemy drones have attacked the territory of the Murmansk region,” with explosions and heavy smoke reported by Belarusian news outlet NEXTA near the Olenya Air Base – a key facility hosting aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons. NEXTA clarified there was no official confirmation of the extent of damage at Olenya from Russian authorities.
Videos circulating on social media, some reportedly shared by SBU sources, appeared to show aircraft engulfed in flames and multiple explosions at targeted airfields. Some reports suggested that FPV drones may have been launched from vehicles, like long-haul trucks, parked near the airbases. There were no immediate official reports from Russia on the full extent of aircraft losses or any casualties. Preliminary Ukrainian internal estimates suggest the damage could exceed $2.2 billion.
This audacious Ukrainian drone assault comes just a week after Russian forces unleashed what was described as the war’s largest aerial attack to date, launching 367 drones and missiles across Ukrainian cities. That barrage claimed 13 lives, including three children in Zhytomyr, and injured dozens, causing widespread damage. Ukraine’s air force reported downing a significant number of those projectiles. Prior to that, Moscow had claimed it intercepted and destroyed around 100 Ukrainian unmanned weapons.
The latest battlefield escalations occur amidst ongoing, though fraught, diplomatic efforts. The United States has recently called on Russia at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to accept a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire proposal, which Washington says Ukraine has already agreed to. US President Donald Trump has made ending the Ukraine war a key foreign policy objective.
However, peace talks remain stalled. Direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on May 16 ended without an agreement on a ceasefire. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned Moscow has drafted a memorandum outlining its terms but has yet to share it with Ukraine. A second round of direct talks has been proposed for Monday in Istanbul, though Kyiv has not confirmed its attendance and has expressed skepticism about Moscow’s intentions.
