3 weeks ago
199
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian drone onslaught has destroyed much than 40 Russian planes heavy successful Russia’s territory, a Ukrainian information authoritative told The Associated Press connected Sunday, portion Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones a time earlier the 2 sides conscionable for a caller circular of nonstop talks successful Istanbul.
The official, who spoke connected information of anonymity to disclose operational details, said the onslaught took implicit 1 1/2-year to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The cognition saw drones transported successful containers carried by trucks heavy into Russian territory, helium said. The drones reportedly deed 41 planes stationed astatine respective airfields connected Sunday afternoon, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M aircraft, the authoritative said. Moscow has antecedently utilized Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers to motorboat missiles astatine Ukraine, portion A-50s are utilized to coordinate targets and observe aerial defenses and guided missiles.
Russia's Defense Ministry successful a connection confirmed the attacks, which spanned 5 airfields. The FPV drones damaged craft and sparked fires connected aerial bases successful the Irkutsk region, much than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic Russia's bluish Murmansk, it said. Strikes were repelled successful the Amur portion successful Russia's Far East and successful the occidental regions of Ivanovo and Ryazan, the ministry said.
The onslaught came the aforesaid time arsenic Zelenskyy said Ukraine volition nonstop a delegation to Istanbul for a caller circular of nonstop bid talks with Russia connected Monday.
In a connection connected Telegram, Zelenskyy said that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov volition pb the Ukrainian delegation. “We are doing everything to support our independence, our authorities and our people,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian officials had antecedently called connected the Kremlin to supply a promised memorandum mounting retired its presumption connected ending the warfare earlier the gathering takes place. Moscow had said it would stock its memorandum during the talks.
Russian onslaught hits an service portion
Russia connected Sunday launched the biggest fig of drones — 472 — connected Ukraine since the full-scale penetration successful February 2022, Ukraine’s aerial unit said.
Russian forces besides launched 7 missiles alongside the barrage of drones, said Yuriy Ignat, caput of communications for the aerial force. Earlier Sunday, Ukraine’s service said astatine slightest 12 Ukrainian work members were killed and much than 60 were injured successful a Russian rocket onslaught connected an service grooming unit.
The onslaught occurred astatine 12:50 p.m., the connection said, emphasizing that nary formations oregon wide gatherings of unit were being held astatine the time.
Ukrainian service commandant Mykhailo Drapatyi aboriginal Sunday submitted his resignation pursuing the attack. He was a respected commandant whose enactment saw Ukraine regain onshore connected the eastbound beforehand for the archetypal clip since Kyiv's 2022 counteroffensive.
The grooming portion was located to the rear of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) progressive beforehand line, wherever Russian reconnaissance and onslaught drones are capable to strike. Ukraine’s forces deficiency troops and instrumentality other precautions to debar wide gatherings arsenic the skies crossed the beforehand enactment are saturated with Russian drones looking for targets.
Northern pressure
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Sunday that it had taken power of the colony of Oleksiivka successful Ukraine’s bluish Sumy region. Ukrainian authorities successful Sumy ordered mandatory evacuations successful 11 much settlements Saturday arsenic Russian forces marque dependable gains successful the area.
Speaking Saturday, Ukraine’s apical service chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Russian forces were focusing their main violative efforts connected Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Lyman successful the Donetsk region, arsenic good arsenic the Sumy borderline area.
___
Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
