Ukraine destroyed Russian strategic bombers in an unprecedented undercover drone operation, while Russia carried out the largest air strikes in Ukrainian cities and intensified attacks on northern Sumi when the two sides held peace talks in Istanbul.
The drone operations of the two countries symbolize direct peace negotiations that began on May 15 and did not reduce the intensity of the conflict and may have deepened it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly promised a response.
Russia's drone and inorganic attacks on Saturday night involved 472 Shahed Kamikaze drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles. Its air force said Ukraine neutralized 385 air targets, including three cruise missiles.
A day later, Ukrainian spider web operations attacked the types of aircraft used by Russia to launch these cruise missiles - Tupolev-22M3, Tupolev-95 and Tupolev-160, among others.
The spider web involved 117 drones smuggling to Russia and were launched simultaneously near the Russian airport where the bombers were parked.
Video released by Ukraine shows that Tu-95s explode in an orange flame as drones pass by them, indicating that their tanks are full and in use.
Ukrainian media 41 aircraft were attacked, Ukrainian National Security Services Agency (SBU) was attacked, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian media 41 aircraft "accounted for 34% of strategic cruise missiles and strategic cruise missiles at air bases." SBU estimated losses of $7 billion.
Western military analysts and open source media have not fully confirmed the Ukraine story before Wednesday, but fire and explosions have been reported in five Russian bases.
Ukraine claims for the first time that it hit the Orenya Air Force Base in the Russian Arctic, nearly 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from Ukraine, and all TU-95 bombers were reportedly destroyed.
Belaya Airbase in Irkutsk is reportedly more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine, and three TU-95 strategic bombers were reportedly destroyed. Ryazan's Dyagilevo Airbase, just 175 kilometers (110 miles) from the center of Moscow; Ivanovo Airfield, 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of the Russian capital, where at least 150 kilometers of A-50 were destroyed - Russia's $500 million aerial radar radar radar radar used to identify Ukrainian air defense systems and coordinate targets of Russian fighter jets. A fire was reportedly reported at the Fifth Airport near Moscow.
Zelenskyy called it "an absolutely excellent result, an independent result of Ukraine" and said "it has been one year since the start of the plan, six months and nine days."
The Russian Ministry of Defense admitted: "In the Murmansk and Irkutsk areas, several aircraft caused fires due to (first person) launches from areas close to the airport (first person view)," but such similar attacks were deported in Ivanovo, Riasan and Amir.
Russia also said: "Some participants in the terrorist attack were detained, although Zelenskyy said: "Our people who are ready to act withdraw the operation on time. ”
"Russia regularly deploys TU-95 and TU-22M3 to launch … cruise missiles targeting Ukraine," wrote the Washington-based think tank War Institute (ISW).
Russia no longer manufactures chassis for TU-95 and TU-22, making it irreplaceable, says Russia's pro-Kremlin telegraph channel Rybar and Ukrainian military observer Tatarigami. Bloomberg reported that Russia's reliance on approved Western components will allow it to avoid or even damage the aircraft to resume use.
The New York Times estimates that Ukraine may have destroyed or damaged 20 aircraft, but not all strike videos may have been posted on open source media.
“If half of the damage/destroyment of 41 aircraft are confirmed, it will have a significant impact on the capabilities of Russian long-range aviation forces to keep their conventional large-scale cruise missile salvoes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure,” said aviation experts at the Royal Services Institute of the Airlines said.
The operation “will force Russian officials to consider redistribution of Russia’s air defense systems to cover a wider territory,” ISW said.
Ukraine's SBU attacked again on June 3, during the war, and for the third time damaged the Kchi Bridge of Crimea's crucial Russian supply line. The video shows an underwater explosion against the pillars of a bridge, indicating that Ukraine uses an underwater driverless car.
Moscow denied any real damage.
Russia spreads forward
Ukraine's success is news of Russia's continued development.
The most shocking thing is near the northern city of Sumy, just 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Russian border.
Geographical video shows Russian troops took the village of Konstynivka on the border on Sunday, which occupied Oleksiivka, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the border.
By Tuesday, Russian troops were close enough to launch rocket artillery into Sumi City, reportedly killing four people and wounding 30 people.
Zelenskyy said: "Rocket artillery attacked ordinary cities - Russians attacked on the street and hit ordinary residential buildings.
On Sunday, Russian troops also appeared to have occupied the settlements of Dyliivka and Zorya in the north and west of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine.
Videos of geographical allocations show that the Russian army is also moving towards two other main targets in eastern Ukraine, Lehman and Kurakhoff.
These gains are part of a slow progress that has been going on for over a year, but they are signs of Putin's determination to complete his conquest of eastern Ukraine.
Negotiation ensures another prisoner of war communication
The resolution was on display in Istanbul, where Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held a second round of peace talks on Monday.
Russia has filed a ceasefire memorandum that calls on Ukraine to formally abandon all the territory Russia has taken in Luhansk, Donetsk, Donetz, Zaporiz and Hesen, as well as parts of the region it has not yet captured, which could take years to conquer and at a huge cost.
Syrskii said Russia's casualties were hit 200,000 on Tuesday this year alone - Al Jazeera could not independently verify.
Russia's memorandum also calls for limiting the size of Ukrainian armed forces and promises that Ukraine will not join the foreign military alliance and will not allow foreign forces on its soil.
It also demanded a Ukrainian general election within 100 days of signing the ceasefire agreement, which underscores Moscow's willingness to replace Kiev in his own position as Zelenskyy in the West.
The demands are consistent with the terms listed by Putin in his June 2024 speech, with Ukrainian negotiators not seeing Russia’s memorandum before arriving at the talks on Monday at 1pm, but left after more than an hour.
Both sides did agree to exchange at least 1,000 prisoners of war, possibly as many as 1,200, prioritizing young people (18-25) and being injured. They also agreed to exchange 6,000 bodies.
They agreed to hold a third round of negotiations with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in the last 10 days of June, which suggests that it involves Putin and Zelenskyy, "because it can only be decided by the person who really makes the decision".
Some observers believe the two leaders may meet in the first round of negotiations on May 15, but only Zelenskyy appears.
"The negotiations in Istanbul are not about strikes on peace in other people's delusional terms, but about ensuring our swift victory and a complete destruction of the neo-Nazi regime," explained Dmitry Medvedev, Vice-President of the Russian Security Council.
He concluded: "Our army is moving forward and will continue to move forward. Everything that needs to be blown up will be blown up, and those who have to be eliminated will be."
More sanctions on Russia?
U.S. President Donald Trump has avoided new sanctions on Moscow, but his position has now lost supporters in the U.S. Congress.
Former presidential advisers Sidney Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham said they would impose 500% tariffs on any country importing oil, gas and uranium from Russia this week. Graham called it “the toughest bill I’ve ever seen in my life in the Senate.”
They made the announcement after a weekend meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
"What I learned on this trip is that he is preparing for more wars," Graham said of Putin.
According to a BBC investigation, the bill will target China and India, which accounts for the majority of Russia's energy exports, totaling 233 billion euros ($26.6 billion) last year.
But theoretically this may include EU members, who spent €23 billion ($26 billion) on Russian oil and gas last year.
In early 2023, many EU members sought exceptions to the Russian oil ban, which never banned Russian gas, although it almost completely stopped importing it.
