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In a meticulously orchestrated operation, Ukraine carried out a daring drone attack targeting several Russian airfields, damaging or destroying dozens of military aircraft used by Moscow for frequent aerial assaults on Ukrainian civilians. The Ukrainian Security Service reported that 41 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers and surveillance planes, were hit. The exact number of aircraft completely disabled remains unclear.

Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, lauded the operation as "a stunning success for Ukraine's special services." He noted that if even half of the 41 aircraft claimed to be damaged or destroyed were confirmed, it would significantly impact Russia's ability to conduct large-scale missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

The attacks focused on four airfields spread across vast distances within Russia. The farthest target was the Belaya base in the Irkutsk region, roughly 4,500 kilometers from Ukraine's border. Other targets included the Olenya base near Murmansk, the Diaghilev airbase in Ryazan Oblast, and the Ivanovo air base used for military transport planes. An airbase in the eastern Amur region was also identified as a target by Ukraine's security agency, although it is uncertain whether an attack on this location was executed or aborted.

The sheer distance from the Ukrainian border likely fostered a sense of complacency among Russian forces, who left their prized aircraft exposed in plain sight at the Belaya base, visible even on publicly available satellite images. This distance also explains why Kyiv's allies' long-range missile systems, like the US-made ATACMS and British-French Storm Shadows, could not reach these targets deep inside Russia.

Ukraine's audacity in the attack was further highlighted by its strategy of smuggling drones close to the target sites rather than flying them in from Ukraine. Russia's radar and air defenses, typically prepared for long-range attacks, were caught off-guard by this low-altitude, sudden strike. Photos and videos verified by CNN confirmed the locations near the bases where the attacks occurred.

Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged the incidents, labeling them "terror attacks" and noting the proximity from which the drones were launched. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that 117 drones were used in the operation. According to the SBU, operatives smuggled the drones into Russia, hid them in wooden sheds on trucks, and then moved them near the airfields.

Reports in Russian media suggested that the trucks were purchased by a Ukrainian living in Russia, who hired drivers to transport them to the designated locations. Though neither Ukrainian nor Russian authorities commented on these claims, Russian state news reported an investigation into an individual suspected of involvement in the attack.

The operatives involved in the operation were reportedly back in Ukraine by the time the strikes commenced. A senior source within Ukraine's drone development program told CNN that the drone pilots likely managed the operation remotely, using an internet hub to control the strikes in real-time, efficiently hitting each target one by one.