Inside Ukraine's audacious drone attack on Russian air bases

But astir of all, it was meticulously planned and flawlessly executed.

Kyiv struck wherever it could make a difference, damaging aliases destroying subject craft that Moscow has been utilizing to terrorise Ukrainian civilians pinch near-daily aerial attacks.

The Ukrainian Security Service said 41 Russian craft were hit, including strategical bombers and surveillance planes, though it is unclear really galore were taken wholly retired of action.

Justin Bronk, a elder investigation chap astatine nan Royal United Services Institute successful London, said nan onslaught was "a stunning occurrence for Ukraine's typical services."

"If moreover half nan full declare of 41 craft damaged/destroyed is confirmed, it will person a important effect connected nan capacity of nan Russian Long Range Aviation unit to support up its regular large-scale cruise rocket salvos against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, whilst besides maintaining their atomic deterrence and signaling patrols against NATO and Japan," he wrote successful a note.

This is what we cognize astir really nan onslaught unfolded.

Striking from wrong Russia

The attacks targeted 4 airfields heavy wrong Russia, pinch nan farthest one, nan Belaya guidelines successful Irkutsk region, immoderate 4500 kilometres from Ukraine's separator pinch Russia.

The different targets included nan Olenya guidelines adjacent Murmansk successful nan Arctic Circle, much than 2,000 kilometres from Ukraine; nan Diaghilev airbase successful Ryazan Oblast, immoderate 520 kilometres from Ukraine; and nan Ivanovo aerial base, which is simply a guidelines for Russian subject carrier aircraft, immoderate 800 kilometres from nan border.

A ocular shared by nan SBU, Ukraine's information agency, besides showed different guidelines successful nan eastbound Amur region arsenic a target.

It is not clear whether an onslaught connected this guidelines grounded aliases was aborted.

It's these immense distances from nan separator pinch Ukraine that apt made Russia complacent astir protecting nan sites.

Its astir prized craft astatine nan Belaya guidelines were regularly parked successful plain show successful nan airfield, intelligibly visible successful publically disposable outer images – including connected Google Maps.

Moscow apt believed nan region itself was capable to support nan craft safe from Ukrainian attacks.

Russia maintains aerial superiority complete Ukraine and while Kyiv's friends person supplied Ukraine pinch immoderate long-range rocket systems, including US-made ATACMS and British-French Storm Shadows, neither has nan scope to onslaught this heavy wrong Russia.

Ukraine has been utilizing drones against targets wrong Russia, including successful Moscow, but nan debased velocity astatine which they recreation makes them comparatively easy for Russian aerial defences to onslaught them.

This is wherever nan audacity of nan onslaught really played out: alternatively than trying to alert nan drones each nan measurement from nan border, Ukraine managed to smuggle them correct adjacent to nan sites it wanted to target and launched them from there.

Insufficient Russian defences

Russia's radar and aerial defences astatine these bases were not prepared for specified a low-altitude and abrupt attack.

The only effective measurement to extremity an onslaught for illustration this is pinch dense instrumentality guns.

Russia has been utilizing these against Ukrainian oversea drones successful nan Black Sea.

But these were either not disposable aliases not deployed quickly capable astatine nan aerial bases targeted by Ukraine connected Sunday – astir apt because Russia simply didn't foresee this type of attack.

CNN was capable to verify and geolocated photos and videos from nan scenes, confirming their locations adjacent nan bases.

Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed successful a connection that nan attacks – which it called "terror attacks" were launched from nan vicinity of nan airfields.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 117 drones were utilized successful nan operation.

According to nan SBU, nan drones were smuggled into Russia by its operatives.

At immoderate point, apt while already successful Russia, nan drones were past hidden wrong mobile woody sheds.

Photos obtained by CNN show nan drones tucked conscionable nether nan sheds' metallic roofs, slotted successful insulation cavities.

These woody cabins were past placed connected trucks and driven to locations adjacent nan bases.

Ukraine did not disclose really precisely it managed to get nan vehicles into nan vicinity of high-profile subject targets without detection, but reports successful Russian media suggested it was comparatively simple.

Baza and Astra, 2 Russian Telegram channels, some reported that nan trucks were bought by a Ukrainian man who lived successful Russia who past simply paid a quartet of drivers to get them wherever he needed them.

Neither Russian nor Ukrainian authorities commented connected these reports, but nan Russian authorities news agency RIA reported that authorities successful nan Irkutsk region were searching for a man who was suspected of being progressive successful nan attack.

His sanction matched nan sanction reported by Baza and Astra.

The Ukrainian Security Service said nan operatives progressive successful nan cognition were safely backmost successful Ukraine by nan clip nan attacks started.

Zelenskyy said they worked crossed aggregate Russian regions spanning 3 clip zones.

A elder root pinch Ukraine's drone improvement programme told CNN nan pilots who flew nan drones were astir apt obscurity adjacent nan locations from which they were launched.

"They would person apt group up an net hub allowing nan pilots to (control them) remotely, each quickly deploying each FPV (first personification position drones), hitting each target 1 by one."

The root said nan connection hub could beryllium "a elemental Russian compartment phone" which is harder to way than different systems, specified arsenic Starlink that is utilized wide successful Ukraine.

A root briefed connected nan matter confirmed nan onslaught was carried retired via Russian telecommunications networks.

Once nan trucks were successful spot and nan drones fresh to go, nan compartment roofs opened and nan drones flew towards their targets.

A video of nan onslaught successful Russia's southeastern Irkutsk region that was shared connected societal media and verified and geolocated by CNN shows 2 drones flying retired of a truck.

They are seen heading towards nan Belaya aerial guidelines successful nan distance, wherever thick, acheronian fume is already billowing from a erstwhile strike.

Another video from nan aforesaid location shows nan motortruck utilized to carrier nan drones connected occurrence aft what appears to beryllium an detonation designed to self-destruct nan truck.

Zelensky said connected Sunday that nan onslaught was successful nan making for 1 year, six months and 9 days, and praised nan information services for a "brilliant" operation.

Russian officials person downplayed nan attack, saying strikes were repelled successful nan Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions but that "several pieces of aircraft" caught occurrence aft attacks successful nan Murmansk and Irkutsk regions.

It added that nan fires had since been extinguished.

It said location were nary casualties.

But while Russian authorities tried to downplay nan attack, respective high-profile Russian subject bloggers person been vocal successful their criticism.

Rybar, a high-profile Russian subject blog, said nan onslaught caused a "tragic nonaccomplishment for nan full Russian aerial fleet" and was a consequence of "criminal negligence".

The SBU said nan strikes caused an estimated $US7 cardinal ($10.8 billion) successful damages and deed 34 per cent of Russia's strategical cruise rocket carriers astatine its main aerial bases – a declare CNN cannot independently verify.

Ukraine said it destroyed respective TU-95 and Tu-22M3 strategical bombers and 1 of Russia's fewer remaining A-50 surveillance planes.

A root briefed connected nan matter said 27 Tu-95, 4 Tu-160, 2 Tu-22M3 and "probably" an A-50 were hit.

The Tu-22M3 is Russia's long-range rocket onslaught level that tin execute stand-off attacks, launching missiles from Russian airspace good down nan beforehand lines to enactment retired of scope of Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire.

Russia had 55 Tu-22M3 jets and 57 Tu-95s successful its fleet astatine nan opening of nan year, according to nan "Military Balance 2025" study from nan International Institute for Strategic Studies deliberation tank.

The Tu-95 joined nan Soviet Union aerial unit successful nan 1950s, and Russia has modified them to motorboat cruise missiles for illustration nan Tu-22.

Bronk, nan RUSI expert, said that replacing immoderate of these craft would beryllium very difficult for Russia because they person not been produced for decades.