Russia-Ukraine Conflict Intensifies as Peace Talks Stall

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has taken a dramatic turn, with Ukraine launching a daring drone operation that destroyed Russian strategic bombers, while Russia responded with its largest air raid yet on Ukrainian cities. The two nations met for peace talks in Istanbul, but the intensity of the conflict shows no signs of abating.

Ukraine’s Bold Drone Strike

Ukraine’s operation, codenamed “Spiderweb,” involved 117 drones smuggled into Russia and launched simultaneously near Russian airfields. The attack hit several Russian air bases, including Olenya in the Russian Arctic and Belaya in Irkutsk, destroying Tu-95 strategic bombers. Ukraine claims 41 planes were hit, amounting to “34 percent of the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at air bases,” with estimated damages of $7 billion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the operation as “an absolutely brilliant result, an independent result of Ukraine,” saying it had been “a year, six months and nine days from the start of planning.” Russia’s Ministry of Defence admitted that several aircraft caught fire in Murmansk and Irkutsk regions but claimed similar attacks were repelled in other areas.

Russia’s Response and Advances

Despite Ukraine’s success, Russian forces have made marginal advances on the front lines, particularly near the northern city of Sumy. Russian troops took the villages of Konstyantynivka and Oleksiivka, and by Tuesday, they were close enough to launch rocket artillery into the city of Sumy, killing four people and wounding 30. Zelenskyy condemned the attack, saying, “Rocket artillery against an ordinary city – the Russians struck right on the street, hitting ordinary residential buildings. Sleazebags.”

Peace Talks and Future Prospects

The peace talks in Istanbul saw Russia present a ceasefire memorandum demanding Ukraine cede all territory Russia has taken in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson, plus parts of those regions it has not yet seized. Ukrainian negotiators departed after little more than an hour, having not seen the memorandum before arriving. The two sides did agree to exchange prisoners of war and bodies.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, emphasized that the talks are not for compromise but for ensuring Ukraine’s swift defeat. “Our army is pushing forward and will continue to advance. Everything that needs to be blown up will be blown up, and those who must be eliminated will be,” he said.

International Reactions

US President Donald Trump has refrained from imposing new sanctions on Moscow, but his stance is losing supporters in the US Congress. Sidney Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham plan to introduce legislation imposing 500 percent tariffs on countries importing oil, gas, and uranium from Russia. Graham said, “What I learned on this trip was he’s preparing for more war,” referring to Putin.