In a bold offensive, Ukraine has targeted Russia’s air force, striking 15 aircraft situated miles away from the ongoing conflict zones.

Captivating drone footage reveals attacks on a variety of aircraft, including 11 Sukhoi and MiG fighter jets, three helicopters, and an Antonov An-26 cargo plane.

Ukraine’s Security Service stated that their elite Alpha unit orchestrated the strikes, targeting the core of Vladimir Putin’s air capabilities and leaving aircraft ablaze on the tarmacs.

The audacious operation saw Ukrainian long-range drones punch deep into Russia, slamming five separate military airfields in undisclosed locations far from the battlefield.

Ukraine‘s Security Service said its elite Alpha unit was behind the strikes, which hit the heart of Vladimir Putin‘s air power and left aircraft burning on runways.

The destroyed fleet included Su-30SM and Su-34 jets – some of Moscow’s most important frontline strike aircraft – alongside older Su-27 and Su-24 fighters still heavily used to bomb Ukraine.

SHOWDOWN

Zelensky demands to meet Putin as casualties near 2m in biggest losses since WW2

VILE STRIKE

At least four killed & several injured as Putin’s drones strike passenger train

Also lost were MiG-31 interceptors, a key pillar of Russia’s air defence network and a launch platform for hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.

Among the wreckage were three helicopters – Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28 – crippling Russian transport, logistics and close-air support capabilities in one hit.

The SBU said fuel and ammunition depots at the airfields also went up in flames, compounding the damage.

In a message, the agency said: “Last year alone, five military airfields were hit by our long-range drones. The result is that the enemy will no longer be able to lift 15 aircraft into the sky.”

The strikes cap a devastating series of blows to Mad Vlad’s air defences.

Earlier this month, Ukraine said the same Alpha unit destroyed or disabled Russian air defence systems worth an estimated $4 billion, United24 Media reported.

Launchers including the S-300, S-350 and S-400, as well as advanced radar systems were hit.

The humiliation for Moscow comes as Volodymyr Zelensky ramps up pressure for a diplomatic showdown with Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky has challenged the Kremlin tyrant to meet face-to-face for the first time since the invasion began, as casualties edge towards two million.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Zelensky is ready to confront Putin directly over the two deadlocked issues blocking peace: Russia’s illegal land grab in eastern Ukraine and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

He said on Wednesday: “It is precisely to address these issues that the president is ready to meet with Putin and discuss them.”

The comments follow rare trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi last week.

American officials said discussions went “better than expected”, raising hopes a leaders’ summit could follow – though no breakthrough was reached.

Putin remains fixated on swallowing the entire Donbas region and is refusing to halt the war unless Ukraine surrenders territory it has spent four years fighting to defend.

But Kyiv has flatly rejected the demand.

Meanwhile, a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the war has already caused more than 1.8 million casualties, with the total set to hit two million by spring.

Russia has suffered the heaviest losses – around 1.2 million casualties, including an estimated 325,000 dead.

Ukraine’s losses are believed to exceed 140,000 killed, with Zelensky saying last week around 46,000 Ukrainian troops have died since the invasion.

The scale of the carnage marks the worst casualty rates of any conflict since World War Two.

Despite the losses, Putin has refused to publish a Russian death toll since September 2022.

And while Ukrainian drones scorch Russian airfields, Putin’s forces continue to target civilians.

Overnight strikes on Kyiv killed a mother and father, leaving their four-year-old child orphaned.

In Kharkiv, terrified passengers fled a train packed with more than 200 civilians after it was hit by Russian drones.

At least four people were killed, with Zelensky later branding the attack “an act of terrorism.”

Western intelligence fears are now mounting that Putin is leaning on China to help develop nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons, with specialised machinery reportedly being supplied for warhead production, according to The Telegraph.