BBC:
Ukraine says it completed its biggest long-range attack of the war with Russia on Sunday, after using smuggled drones to launch a series of major strikes on 40 Russian warplanes at four military bases.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said 117 drones were used in the so-called “Spider’s Web” operation by the SBU security service, striking “34% of [Russia’s] strategic cruise missile carriers”.SBU sources told BBC News it took a year-and-a-half to organise the strikes.
Russia confirmed Ukrainian attacks in five regions, calling them a “terrorist act”.
The attacks come as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are heading to Istanbul, Turkey, for a second round of peace talks on Monday.
The talks are expected to start around 13:00 local time (10:00 GMT) at the Ciragan Palace.
Expectations are low, as the two warring sides remain far apart on how to end the war.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported a massive drone and missile attack on its territory over the weekend.
At least six people, including a seven-year-old child, were injured following a strike in Kharkiv in the early hours of Monday, the region’s governor said.
Elsewhere, Russia’s state news agency Ria said the country’s security service thwarted an attempted arson attack in the east.
It said two residents in the Primorye region were attempting to sabotage a railway track on Ukraine’s orders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the southern Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014.
