Ukraine war live update: Drones ’emerged from trucks’ before strikes on jets during major attack in Russia

Zelensky oversaw attack on Russian airbases, Ukrainian security sources saypublished at 15:14 British Summer Time

15:14 BST

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

Astonishing details have been leaked to the media about how this morning’s Ukrainian attack on at least four Russian airbases was organised.

According to sources at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), “Operation Spider’s Web” took one year-and-a-half to organise and was personally overseen by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Sources say the SBU’s first FPV drones into Russia, followed later by mobile wooden cabins.

Once on Russian territory, the drones were hidden under the roofs of these cabins, which had been placed on to trucks. At the time of the attack, the roofs were remotely opened, allowing the drones to take off and hit the nearby airbases.

Video has emerged showing drones emerging from the roof of one of the vehicles involved. Ukraine estimates the damage caused by the attacks at over $2bn (£1.5bn).

The targets hit included TU-95s (the large strategic bomber known as “Bear”), TU-22M3s (supersonic long-range bomber) and A-50 (early warning and control aircraft).

In a separate development Ukraine’s head of land forces, Maj Gen Mkyhailo Drapatyi, has tendered his resignation, following a Russian ballistic missile attack which hit a Ukrainian army training facility earlier today, in which 12 soldiers were killed.