The conditions of theSTART missile treaty signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Joe Biden in January 2021 exposed Russia’s strategic nuclear bomber fleet to the devastating Operation Spiderweb drone attack.

The attack demonstrated Ukraine’s ability to use relatively cheap drones to take out expensive aircraft and to strike sites far from its borders.

Ukraine’s daring strike on Russian bombers far from the frontlines highlights the dominance of drones, as the tech grows ever more deadly.

Ukrainian secret services admitted to carrying out an operation codenamed 'Spider's Web,' which caused considerable damage to key Russian air bases on Sunday.

In a statement confirming a special operation on Sunday that targeted airfields used by Russian strategic bombers, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it had hit a third of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers.

The Security Service of Ukraine said that the operation, which it codenamed “Web”, had destroyed 34% of Russia's fleet of air missile carriers with damages estimated at $7 billion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had carried out a 'brilliant' drone strike operation deep inside Russian territory, targeting only military assets. The operation, called Spiderweb,

It was already hard to imagine a breakthrough emerging from the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine set to be renewed in Istanbul on Monday.