Kyiv/Moscow, June 1 Amid reports that European powers were preparing to lift curbs on Kyiv's use of long-range weaponry and a day before the next round of peace talks, Ukraine on Sunday claimed to have struck over three dozen Russian strategic aviation assets at several military airfields located deep inside Russia, including in Siberia and Murmansk.
In what was termed to be one of the most widespread drone attacks so far on the Russian air forces, Ukraine's security service, the SBU, in a statement, said: "Enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia."
Ukraine is conducting "a large-scale special operation aimed at destroying enemy bomber aircraft", it said.
Footage has emerged purportedly showing a drone attack at Belaya airbase in Irkutsk oblast, Siberia, thousands of miles from Ukraine, the BBC reported.
While the Russian military has not commented on the Ukrainian attacks, authorities in Siberia said several drones targeted a military installation in the Irkutsk Region in "the first such attack in Siberia".
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said the incident occurred near the settlement of Sredny, about 150 km from Lake Baikal and 70 km from the regional capital, RT reported.
He also said that one drone reportedly hit an abandoned building in the nearby village of Novomaltinsk.
According to the governor, the drones were launched from a small truck, though the exact number of UAVs involved remains unclear. Unverified footage on social media suggests that at least three drones took part in the raid, RT said.
Kobzev added that the launch site had been “blocked” and that there was “no threat to the lives and health of civilians.” Emergency services and law enforcement were dispatched to the scene, he said.
While Kobzev did not say who was behind the attack, both Russian and Ukrainian media outlets have suggested that the attack was orchestrated by Kiev, RT reported.
According to Russian media, the Irkutsk attack coincided with reports of a similar drone strike in the northern Murmansk Region, though details were not available.
While officials in the Murmansk region reported a similar drone raid, they did not provide any further details.
The latest wave of drone strikes on Russian strategic military assets comes hours before Russia and Ukraine are set for the next round of peace talks in Istanbul.
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