By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine’s military said Monday it damaged two fighter jets in a night-time raid on an airfield deep inside Russia as Kyiv sought to disrupt Moscow’s steady advances on the frontline and Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine.
Special operations forces were said to have launched an assault on the Savasleyka airfield, located in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia, about 400 miles (640 kilometers) from the Ukrainian border.
The strike came a week after Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb, when drones struck Russia’s nuclear-capable bombers, in what was seen as an embarrassment for the Kremlin.
Yet Russia made clear it remains a force to be reckoned with, launching what Kyiv described as the “most extensive drone attack” to date against Ukraine overnight.
A record 479 drones and 20 missiles were reportedly fired, targeting military infrastructure and cities across the country.
A key target was a military airfield near Dubno, in western Ukraine — dangerously close to the Polish border, prompting Poland to deploy fighter planes early Monday to secure its airspace.
The Polish military said the move was a precaution amid rising fears that debris — or worse —of the missile and drone attacks could cross into NATO military alliance territory.
AIR SIRENS
The announcement followed air raid sirens sounding throughout Ukraine during the night, leaving millions on edge.
The action highlights the growing fear that the war could spill over into neighboring countries, such as NATO member states Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania, as well as the non-NATO nation of Moldova.
Ukraine’s air defenses claimed to have intercepted 460 drones and 19 missiles, including four hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.
Still, debris fell in at least 17 regions, and explosions were reported at ten sites, leaving many civilians shaken and local services scrambling to assess damage, witnesses said.
Though Ukraine also claimed successful strikes in return, including attacks on a Russian air base and a weapons factory, the scale and intensity of the Russian assault highlighted concern that the three-year war was rapidly escalating.
Thousands were spending the night in bomb shelters or underground metro stations, hoping to see an end to the more than three-year-long war.
While Ukraine was pondering how to better protect its population against Russian attacks, French carmaker Renault was in early discussions with France’s Ministry of Defense about launching drone production in Ukraine.
RENAULT INVOLVED
French media said Renault may partner with a small defense firm to build production lines well away from the frontlines, marking a significant expansion of Western support for Kyiv.
While details remain sketchy, military observers said the plan could provide Ukraine with much-needed surveillance and combat drones — and help France modernize its arsenal.
Despite the ongoing clashes, Moscow and Kyiv have begun what could become the largest prisoner swap since the war started with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
It offered a rare glimmer of hope for thousands of families torn apart by the armed conflict that is believed to have left more than a million people killed and injured on both sides.
On Sunday, both countries exchanged groups of captured soldiers, many of whom are under 25 years old or seriously wounded, officials said.
The repatriated soldiers were due to be reunited with their families in the coming days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation is ongoing and involves “complex, sensitive negotiations that are taking place nearly every day.”
PRISONER EXCHANGE
The two nations agreed on the prisoner exchange during talks in Istanbul, Turkey, in early June. Each country has committed to releasing at least 1,200 prisoners and repatriating the remains of thousands of fallen soldiers, Worthy News learned.
However, both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of deliberately stalling the process, charges both sides deny.
Despite this cooperation, there has been no breakthrough on a ceasefire, with Russia dismissing U.S. and Kyiv calls for a truce.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for a face-to-face meeting with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump to discuss the stalemate at next week’s Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada, amid growing uncertainty over future U.S. support.
Trump, who has suggested he could “end the war in 24 hours” if reelected, alarmed Ukrainian officials. In an emotional rebuttal, Zelensky said: “Putin is not a child in a park. He is a murderer who came to kill children.”
His government views a meeting with Trump as a way to overcome tensions after
Ukrainian envoys recently traveled to Washington to secure continued U.S. military support and discuss fresh sanctions against Russia.
With the G7 summit approaching, the outcome of these talks could shape the next phase of the war, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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