A Ukrainian security official told Reuters that the operation targeted 41 Russian warplanes, though the news agency could not independently confirm this claim.
Images posted on social media showed thick smoke rising in Olenegorsk, a town in Russia’s Murmansk region.
The drone strikes coincided with a major Russian offensive using unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukraine, with at least 472 drones launched on the same day.
According to the Russian defence ministry, Ukrainian attacks focused on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. Most of the attacks were intercepted by air defences, except in Murmansk and Irkutsk, where FPV drones launched near airfields caused several aircraft to catch fire. These fires were later extinguished, no casualties were reported, and some suspects had been detained, the ministry said.
Separately, a highway bridge collapse in Russia’s Bryansk region killed seven people and injured 69 others. The bridge came down onto railway tracks just as a passenger train with 388 people on board was passing. Russia’s Investigative Committee said both this and another bridge incident were deliberate explosions. No group has claimed responsibility so far.
A Ukrainian source, speaking anonymously, claimed the targeted Russian aircraft included Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers used to launch long-range missile strikes. The source said drones packed with explosives were hidden in the roofs of wooden sheds at one site. This report, and the related images, could not be verified by Reuters.
In Ukraine, authorities reported the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of the full-scale war three years ago.
Ukraine’s air force said 472 drones were launched, along with seven missiles. Earlier that day, a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian army training facility killed at least 12 service members and injured over 60. The base is located far behind the active 1,000-kilometre front line but remains within reach of Russian reconnaissance and drone attacks.
Emergency services were seen responding to damage caused by Russian drone strikes on private homes. An investigative commission has been formed to determine how the missile attack resulted in such high casualties. Ukrainian forces, dealing with personnel shortages, typically avoid large gatherings due to the high risk of aerial surveillance and strikes.
Meanwhile, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would send a delegation, led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, to Istanbul on Monday for a new round of direct talks with Russia.
“We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state, and our people,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Ukrainian officials had previously requested that Moscow submit a memorandum outlining its stance before the talks. Russia has said it will present the document during the meeting. The Russian delegation also departed for Istanbul on Sunday, according to state media agency RIA.
