Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Major Developments Day 1194

Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a strategic attack on Russian airbases as far as Siberia, destroying bombers valued at $7 billion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described this as Kyiv’s most far-reaching strike since the war began. According to Al Jazeera's correspondent in Moscow, Dorsa Jabbari, the operation was a wide-scale assault launched from within Russian territory, specifically aimed at aircraft used in attacks against Ukraine.

A source from Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service told Reuters that the mission used explosive-laden drones hidden in wooden sheds and transported by truck to the airbase perimeters. The strike reportedly damaged at least 41 Russian warplanes.

Despite these reports, Russia’s TASS news agency claimed there were no casualties among military personnel or civilians and that some suspects had been arrested.

The raid coincided with what Ukraine's Air Force called the war’s most intense drone offensive by Russia, involving 472 drones overnight along with seven missiles. One missile targeted a Ukrainian military training center, killing 12 soldiers and injuring over 60. The tragic event prompted Ground Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi to resign, citing a personal sense of responsibility.

Within Russia, seven people were killed and 69 injured after a bridge in the Bryansk region collapsed onto a passenger train. Moscow Railway attributed the collapse to "illegal interference with transport operations." Another bridge failure in the Kursk region caused a freight train derailment, injuring the train driver. Additionally, Ukrainian drones targeting the Kursk region caused fires when falling debris struck private homes.

Politics and Diplomacy
President Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine is dispatching a delegation, led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, to participate in a second round of peace negotiations in Istanbul. Russian delegate Vladimir Medinsky acknowledged that Moscow had received Ukraine’s draft of a peace memorandum, according to TASS.

However, Zelenskyy noted that Russia has not yet provided its own version of the document to Ukraine, Turkiye, or the United States.

TASS also reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed political proposals for resolving the conflict, including the upcoming talks in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, in Poland’s presidential run-off election, the results remain too close to determine a winner. Key campaign issues included aid to Ukraine, its potential NATO membership, and the situation of Ukrainian refugees.