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Ukraine drone strike destroys over 40 Russian aircraft deep in Russia

Supervised by President Zelenskyy, the strike arrives just days before talks in Istanbul, highlighting an unprecedented escalation in drone warfare.

Smoke rises above the area following what local authorities called a drone attack on a military unit in the Sredny settlement, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Usolsky district of the Irkutsk region, Russia, in this still image from a video published June 1, 2025.
Aftermath of the Ukrainian drone attack in the Irkutsk region
Image
Emergency service members work at the site where Russian drones damaged several private houses, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, June 1, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Overview

  • President Zelenskyy personally oversaw Operation Web, deploying over 100 FPV drones smuggled into Russia hidden in mobile wooden shelters to hit five airbases.
  • Ukraine’s Security Service put the damage at $7 billion after strikes damaged dozens of Tu-95 and A-50 bombers, a claim Russia’s Defense Ministry partly confirmed by reporting fires at Irkutsk and Murmansk bases.
  • Russia retaliated with missiles and a record 472 drones targeting Ukrainian positions, killing at least 12 service members and wounding more than 60 in a missile strike on a rear training unit.
  • Ukrainian Ground Forces commander Mykhailo Drapatyi resigned after the attack on his training unit underscored vulnerabilities in troop concentrations under heavy drone surveillance.
  • Ukraine and Russia will reconvene peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, where Kyiv intends to push for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange.