“The driver’s running around…drones are flying from his truck toward the base,” one Russian observer posted. But many are the same $2000 hobbyist quadcopter drones you can find on the shelves of local electrical stores. Troops simply strap explosives on them and fly them directly into enemy bunkers, trenches, warehouses, tanks, trucks … anywhere. Previous successful Ukrainian drone rown online casino real money attacks had forced Russia’s bomber fleet to seek safety in these more distant airfields. All are designed to carry nuclear-capable cruise missiles.

Operation Spiderweb: How Ukraine pulled off the unthinkable

There are also unconfirmed reports that the Northern Fleet Headquarters in Murmansk – home of Russia’s cruise-missile armed nuclear submarines – has also been hit. And the broad-daylight raid may have cost Russia a significant portion of their nuclear “mutually-assured destruction” force. “Enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia,” Ukraine’s Security Service has declared. But Russia’s trillion-dollar defence infrastructure could not do anything about a few truckloads of wi-fi connected toy drones. The US military has launched air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria, US officials have confirmed.

Operation Spiderweb: How Ukraine pulled off the unthinkable

“Russian strategic bombers, all burning delightfully,” the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Lieutenant General Vasily Maliuk, comments in footage released about the attack. And the drones are proving to be much cheaper and quicker to produce than advanced artillery shells or precision-guided missiles. “Even though Ukraine is experiencing a number of setbacks at the moment, the way in which it has made its overall military capability and production of drones so efficient is absolutely remarkable,” says Professor Cross.

“FPV drones are about tactical dominance,” one Russian military analyst has commented since the attack. “At the right moment, the roofs of the (pallet-huts) were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,” an anonymous official told AP. Up to 150 drones and 300 grenade-sized explosives were reportedly used in the attack. But the loss of its prized strategic bombers has cast a whole new light on today’s Istanbul peace talks. Belaya Base in Irkutsk, some 4000km from Ukraine in south-eastern Siberia.

Operation Spiderweb: How Ukraine pulled off the unthinkable

Military analysts say it is one of the most significant raids in modern warfare.

• “Russian strategic bombers, all burning delightfully,” the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Lieutenant General Vasily Maliuk, comments in footage released about the attack.
• “At the right moment, the roofs of the (pallet-huts) were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,” an anonymous official told AP.
• These had reportedly returned and were lined up on the airfield for refuelling and rearming.
• Troops simply strap explosives on them and fly them directly into enemy bunkers, trenches, warehouses, tanks, trucks … anywhere.

The Kremlin had hoped to enter ceasefire talks later today on a high after one of its own largest attacks of the war. A record 472 drones and dozens of missiles were sent to attack Ukrainian cities on Saturday night. Russia is generally believed to have less than 90 operational strategic bombers. These include the ungainly Tu-95 “Bear” four-engined turboprop, which entered service in 1952. The Tu-22M “Backfire” swing-wing bomber began operations in 1962. And Only a handful of the more modern Tu-160 “Blackjack” heavy strategic bombers (built in the late 1980s) remain in service.

One attack – on the Olenya airfield in Murmansk – has apparently proved particularly successful. Some specialist varieties are built in backyard factories from about $15,000 of imported electrical components and motors. That’s largely due to Ukraine’s rapid recognition of the power of drones. “It’s actually having an effect on how the US is thinking about investments in the future,” says Professor Mai’a Cross of Boston’s Northeastern University. It’s also turned decades of military thinking on its head.