Ukraine unleashed more than a hundred drones smuggled deep into Russia in what it called its most damaging attack yet.

Though the knock-on effects are unclear, some military commentators have called the strike Russia's "Pearl Harbor." Hopes for direct peace talks, which resume Monday, remain low.

After too many nights of pulling children from the rubble of Russian drone strikes, the weekend’s devastating attacks on Moscow’s military pride mark a brief respite for Ukrainian morale, and yet another twist of the unexpected.

The covert operation was described as one for the “history books” by Ukraine’s president. According to Ukrainian officials, nearly a third of Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet was destroyed or damaged with cheaply made drones sneaked into Russian territory in the span of a few hours on Sunday.

The head of Ukraine's SBU sec urity service, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, said on Monday that Kyiv hit 41 aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bom bers Russia has used extensively to fire long-range missiles at Ukraine.

Ukraine has developed, tested, and deployed the Sky Sentinel, a AI-powered turret that it says can down Russia's Shahed drones and cruise missiles.

The U.K. has been reassessing its defense spending since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The drone strikes on Russian air force bases weaken Moscow’s ability to wage war on its neighbor and undermine its capacity to threaten more distant rivals.