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Ukraine destroys 40 aircraft deep inside Russia ahead of peace talks in Istanbul
AP News ^ | Updated 1:33 PM CDT, June 1, 2025 | SAMYA KULLAB

Posted on 06/01/2025 12:42:56 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian drone attack has destroyed more than 40 Russian planes deep in Russia’s territory, Ukraine’s Security Service said on Sunday, while Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones just hours before a new round of direct peace talks in Istanbul.

A military official, who spoke with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to disclose operational details, said the far-reaching attack took more than a year and a half to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The military source said it was an “extremely complex” operation, involving the smuggling of first-person view, or FPV, drones to Russia, where they were then placed in mobile wooden houses.

“Later, drones were hidden under the roofs of these houses while already placed on trucks. At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,” the source said.

Social media footage shared by Russian media appeared to show the drones rising from inside containers while other panels lay discarded on the road. One clip appeared to show men climbing onto a truck in an attempt to halt the drones.

The drones hit 41 planes stationed at military airfields on Sunday afternoon, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M aircraft, the official said. Moscow has previously used Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers to launch missiles at Ukraine, while A-50s are used to coordinate targets and detect air defenses and guided missiles.

The Security Service of Ukraine said that the operation, which it codenamed “Web”, had destroyed 34% of Russia’s fleet of air missile carriers with damages estimated at $7 billion. The claim could not be independently verified.

Russia’s Defense Ministry in a statement confirmed the attacks, which damaged aircraft and sparked fires on air bases...

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
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The military source said it was an “extremely complex” operation, involving the smuggling of first-person view, or FPV, drones to Russia, where they were then placed in mobile wooden houses.

Sounds like an inside job.

1 posted on 06/01/2025 12:42:56 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The Ukrainians are going to show up at the talks like the 3rd grader who just cr@pped all over the teacher’s desk.


2 posted on 06/01/2025 12:45:57 PM PDT by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Gotta wonder what plans Vlad has for Ukraine during the peace talks!!


3 posted on 06/01/2025 12:47:31 PM PDT by Racketeer
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Large Russian counterstrike underway now in Ukraine.


4 posted on 06/01/2025 12:53:47 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (🦅 MAGADONIAN ⚔️ LIFE )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

That’s $2b down the toilet.


5 posted on 06/01/2025 12:54:03 PM PDT by DownInFlames (P)
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To: Racketeer
I'm not expecting a tit for tat response out of Russia this time.

I think that they are going to take their case to the UN Security Council and make it a point of exposing that the Ukraine is being used as a proxy war by the US and NATO and that attacks supported by US/NATO infrastructure and military personnel are de facto attacks by NATO and the US against Russia.

They will use this info to put pressure on the Trump Administration to end it's thinly disguised Biden Era boots on the ground back door military support for the Ukraine.

Thinking they will show up for talks and take a reasonable but firm line on terms for ending the war that is a bit more favorable to the Ukraine than their previous offers.

Of course, Zelensky , surrounded by Macron, Merz and Starmer, shoot that offer down.

After that, it's anyone's guess.

6 posted on 06/01/2025 1:00:21 PM PDT by rdcbn1 (TV )
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To: rdcbn1
Ukraine is being used as a proxy war by the US and NATO and that attacks supported by US/NATO infrastructure and military personnel are de facto attacks by NATO and the US against Russia.

True. Ukraine could not have done this on their own.

From the article:

was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Nope. Z was not the mastermind Great Leader behind this, no matter what their propaganda claims.

7 posted on 06/01/2025 1:13:06 PM PDT by Angelino97
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To: rdcbn1
I think that they are going to take their case to the UN Security Council and make it a point of exposing that the Ukraine is being used as a proxy war by the US and NATO and that attacks supported by US/NATO infrastructure and military personnel are de facto attacks by NATO and the US against Russia.

You're right, of course! Russia will argue, "Only WE are allowed to use drones to destroy targets in other countries! The countries we invade and annex shouldn't be allowed to fight back! No fair, no fair, no fair!"

The Russian aircraft are clearly military, and hence: legitimate, targets!

Regards,

8 posted on 06/01/2025 1:13:17 PM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Putin should go wild now on his own forces, purging any and everyone who even MIGHT have contributed to this happening to them. That’ll teach those Russians to stay patriotic and will be a big morale booster for them too. Ha ha ha.
Note, if the Ukes can pull something like this off (with Western help wink wink) they can certainly manage to kill Putin eventually. Putin better execute a bunch of his closest advisors and staff just to be sure they aren’t betraying him. That’ll also boost morale fir sure.


9 posted on 06/01/2025 1:14:08 PM PDT by desertsolitaire (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)
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To: desertsolitaire
Putin should go wild now on his own forces, purging any and everyone who even MIGHT have contributed to this happening to them.

Did you get this information via "remote viewing?"

10 posted on 06/01/2025 1:16:17 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: rdcbn1

Do you think Trump really didn’t know anything about it? If it was planned 16 months ago, he wasn’t in office and if zelensky coordinated it with the US, he didn’t do it with the current administration.

Zelensky has been consistently uncooperative with and even defiant towards Trump, and perhaps it’s because he knew there was another plan in the works. It would have been the Dems and the GOP warhawks, and remember Lindsey Graham just went to visit Zelensky a couple of days ago, making one think he knew what was going on.

This whole situation is so weird and confusing. And alarming. Is Trump really in charge?


11 posted on 06/01/2025 1:21:28 PM PDT by livius
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To: rdcbn1

“After that, it’s anyone’s guess.”

My guess is a half dozen Oreshniks on SBU HQ.


12 posted on 06/01/2025 1:23:12 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Is the number 40 an exaggeration likely?


13 posted on 06/01/2025 1:31:43 PM PDT by desertsolitaire (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)
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To: kiryandil

Yes indeed. The Ukes are absolute morons and we should never give them another dime.


14 posted on 06/01/2025 1:35:04 PM PDT by Veto! (Trump Is Superman)
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To: livius

What’s really confusing and weird to me is in every other war since the history of video and photography, we have gotten actual pictures and video. Yes, some of them are probably doctored but this particular war seems to have no video back up. Don’t you find that strange?


15 posted on 06/01/2025 1:38:36 PM PDT by Maskot (Put every dem/lib in prison........like yesterday!!! )
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To: Maskot

Not that we don’t get “pictures and video” from the tit for tat strikes from either side, but most everything I’ve seen is text descriptions. There’s more footage from Vietnam than this war 🤔


16 posted on 06/01/2025 1:41:06 PM PDT by Maskot (Put every dem/lib in prison........like yesterday!!! )
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To: rdcbn1

Awesome logic. Russia attacks Ukraine. Ukraine and its allies attack bombers used to attack Ukraine. And you think “Proxy war” is going to persuade the UN?

Russia leaves Ukraine and the war ends.

Even if it is a proxy war what is Russia’s plea? “Please tell Ukraines allies to stop supporting them so we can have Ukraine to ourselves.”


17 posted on 06/01/2025 1:51:31 PM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
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To: alexander_busek
Of course the Russian Backfires are legit military targets and I'm totally down with taking them out. I think you are missing the point here.

Sure, the Ukraine is absolutely free to attack Russia at it's leisure, no dispute there. Of course, one may question the wisdom of doing so.

The Ukraine attacking Russia with US weapons, controlled by US military techs and targeted by US ISR and targeting systems is a completely different issue

The point is that Russia may just be heading to the UN Security council to formally make the point that the US, UK, Germany and France are co belligerents with the Ukraine in direct attacks against Russian nuclear weapons facilities.

That might just make Western forces and facilities around the world as legitimate military targets for Russian reprisal attacks

Of course, the US and UK have votes so no UN resolution will pass but the Russians may get a majority of the votes in their favor

If this keeps going on, the Russians may just start using tactical nuclear weapons in the Ukraine

Then what?

18 posted on 06/01/2025 1:58:42 PM PDT by rdcbn1 (TV )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

16 months. I will not be surprised if other attacks are in process. They found a vulnerability and took advantage, it seems likely to me they have other vulnerabilities to take advantage of.


19 posted on 06/01/2025 2:06:28 PM PDT by Raycpa
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To: FreedomNotSafety

The Budapest Memorandum, signed by the USA, the UK, Russia and the Ukraine, particularly provision 5.:
Not to use nuclear weapons against any non–nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, except in the case of an attack on themselves, their territories or dependent territories, their armed forces, or their allies, by such a state in association or alliance with a nuclear weapon state.

One nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day.


20 posted on 06/01/2025 2:13:13 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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