Ukraine drone attack destroys 40 Russian aircraft

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 40 Russian aircraft have reportedly been destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russian territory, media reports said on Monday.

The drone attack was confirmed by Ukraine’s Security Service on Sunday. In response, Moscow launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, just hours before a new round of peace talks began in Istanbul, Turkey, the Associated Press reported.

A military official cited by the Associated Press said the large-scale operation took over a year and a half to plan and execute, and was personally overseen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy said that a total of 117 drones were used in the operation.

He also claimed that the mission was coordinated from an office located next to the local headquarters of the FSB, Russia’s intelligence and security service.

Footage shared on social media and picked up by Russian media appeared to show drones launching from inside containers, with debris scattered across a nearby road. In one clip, individuals were seen climbing onto a truck in an apparent attempt to stop the drones.

sa