Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was at a press conference held by the principal of Berlin, Germany on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Markus Schreiber/AP Closed subtitles
Kyofu, Ukraine - Ukrainian security officials told the Associated Press on Sunday that the Ukrainian drone attack had destroyed more than 40 Russian aircraft on Russian territory.
The official, who spoke on condition of the operational details, said the attack took January 1 to carry out the execution and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He said the operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks, deep into Russian territory. The drones hit the Belaya Airlines base in the Irkutsk region of Russia, more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine. Local Governor Igor Kobzeva said it was the first time the region saw Ukrainian drones in the region and stressed that it posed no threat to civilians.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul on Monday and conduct new direct peace talks with Russia on Monday.
In a statement on the telegram, Zelenskyy said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov would lead the Ukrainian delegation. "We are doing our best to protect our independence, our country and our people," Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian officials have previously called on the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum ahead of the meeting to clarify its position on ending the war. Moscow has said it will share its memorandum during the talks.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched its largest drone (472) in Ukraine on Sunday since the full invasion in February 2022.
Yuriy Ignat, head of air force communications, said Russian troops also fired seven missiles on the barrage of drones. Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian troops said at least 12 Ukrainian service personnel were killed in a Russian missile strike in the Army's training department and more than 60 were injured.
The statement said the strike occurred at 12:50 pm, highlighting that no gathering of personnel was held at that time. A committee of inquiry was established to reveal the attacks that resulted in the losses of personnel, the statement said.
The training unit is located at the rear of the 1,000 km (620 miles) event frontline, with Russian reconnaissance and strike drones able to strike.
Ukrainian troops suffered from manpower shortages and took additional precautions to avoid large gatherings, as the cross-line sky was filled with Russian drones looking for targets.
The Ukrainian Ground Force statement said: "If an officer's actions or inaction result in death or damage from a soldier, the person responsible will be strictly responsible."
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday it had taken control of the village of Oleksiivka in the Sumi region of northern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities in Sumy had mandatory evacuation in 11 settlements on Saturday as Russian troops made steady gains in the region.
Ukraine's Supreme Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian troops focused their main offensive efforts in the Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Lyman and Sumy Border regions in the Donetsk region.