How 41 Russian nuclear bombers burned in less than an hour

How 41 Russian nuclear bombers burned in less than an hour,
Ukraine: Major drone attack on Russian airbase,
Deep in Siberia... Ukraine's "spider web" paralyzes a third of Russia's strategic bombers
Ukrainian intelligence services were able to attack Russian strategic bombers at air bases on Sunday by concealing explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden huts, according to a Ukrainian security official and photos posted online.
The wooden huts were loaded onto trucks and transported to the perimeter of the air bases. The official said their roof panels were raised remotely, allowing the drones to take flight and begin the attack. The security official, who requested anonymity, said the strikes were carried out on Sunday against four air bases, and that a total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, including a third of the strategic cruise missile bombers. Reuters could not independently verify this. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday praised the "brilliant" results of his forces' coordinated drone attack on Russian military airfields, stressing that it was his country's "longest-range" operation inside Russia.
"This is our longest-range operation to date," Zelenskyy said, describing the results as "very impressive." He also confirmed that the personnel involved in the attack "were removed from Russian territory in a timely manner."
Unverified videos and photos posted on Russian social media showed strategic bombers on fire at the Belaya air base in Siberia's Irkutsk region.
Igor Kobzev, the governor of the Irkutsk region, said on Sunday that drones attacked a Russian military unit near the village of Sredny, close to the Belaya air base, though he did not specify the target of the attack. He added that the drones were launched from a truck. This comes as Ukraine announced that its territory was targeted overnight by 472 Russian drones, the largest Russian air attack since the war began in February 2022, and on the eve of the launch of the second round of direct talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul.
An "unprecedented" attack
The attack in the Irkutsk region is the first of its kind to date to be carried out in an area so far from the front lines, located more than 4,300 kilometers away.
This exceeds the range of the long-range attack drones or ballistic missiles that Ukraine has in its arsenal, so a special plan was required to bring the drones close enough to the target.
The Ukrainian security official said that the operation, codenamed "Spider's Web," was overseen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself, along with the head of the intelligence service.
"$7 billion in losses"
The Ukrainian Security Service estimated Russian losses in today's attack on its airports at approximately $7 billion. He added, in a statement, "This is the estimated cost of the enemy's strategic aviation, which was struck today as a result of the special operation (Web) carried out by the Ukrainian Security Service."
He continued, "34 percent of the strategic cruise missile launchers at Russia's main airports were targeted," noting that details of the special operation would be released later.
"Russian Defense Ministry Confirms Targeting"
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Ukraine had carried out a "terrorist attack" using drones against airports in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions.
The ministry added, in a statement via Telegram, that it had repelled "all terrorist attacks at military airports in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions." It continued, "In the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, as a result of the launch of drones from territories located in the immediate vicinity of the airports, several aircraft caught fire, and the fires were extinguished. There were no casualties among military personnel or civilians." It confirmed that "some of the participants in the terrorist attacks were arrested." For his part, Igor Kobzev, governor of the Ikostyk region, reported on Sunday a "drone attack" on the village of Sredny, adjacent to the Belaya base. He said, "This is the first such attack in Siberia," urging residents not to "give in to panic."