Ukrainian forces destroyed more than 40 aircraft and struck five separate Russian air bases in a surprise assault Sunday that represented one of the most devastating, embarrassing blows to Moscow’s war machine since its war with Kyiv began more than three years ago.
One prominent Russian military blogger dubbed the assault the “Russian Pearl Harbor,” as Russian military insiders appeared stunned that their country’s military and security services could’ve missed such a brazen, ambitious operation. The attacks came just a day before representatives from the two nations met for another round of ceasefire negotiations in Turkey on Monday.
The assault appeared to borrow from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playbook: Conduct a major attack on the eve of peace talks in an effort to put substantial pressure on the other side and demonstrate your ability to inflict major damage on the enemy.