Russia ties next round of Istanbul talks to Ukraine halting strikes on airbases

Chepa, deputy head of the parliamentary international affairs committee, stated the talks “won’t be long in coming and will take place by the end of June.” 

"But provided, of course, that the events of the last two days do not repeat themselves — I mean, of course, the terrorist acts in the Bryansk and Kursk oblasts and the attempt to attack strategic aviation airports," said the Russian lawmaker.

Chepa also demanded that Ukraine observe a ceasefire on specific frontlines. 

The second round of talks, held on June 2 in Istanbul, lasted over an hour, with Russia’s delegation led by Vladimir Medinsky and Ukraine’s by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. 

Umerov told reporters the sides agreed only on a new prisoner exchange, with Ukraine proposing a full ceasefire and a leaders’ summit, awaiting Russia’s response by month’s end. 

Both sides exchanged memorandums, with a week to review them; Ukraine shared its document earlier, while Russia delayed until the meeting.

Operation Spiderweb

On June 1, Ukraine’s SBU Security Service carried out a large-scale operation targeting Russia’s strategic aviation fleet. Initial reports indicated that more than 40 aircraft used in attacks on Ukrainian cities were hit, including A-50 early warning planes, as well as Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers.

The operation focused on five airbases deep inside Russian territory: Olenya in Murmansk Oblast, Belaya in Irkutsk Oblast, Dyagilevo in Ryazan Oblast, Ivanovo in Ivanovo Oblast, and Ukrainka in Amur Oblast — with the latter strike reportedly failing. The strike on Belaya marked Ukraine’s first known attack on a military site in Siberia since the start of the full-scale war.

The aircraft were struck by drones launched from trucks parked near the airfields. According to NV sources in Ukraine’s security services, the operation was personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and executed by Vasyl Maliuk and a team from the SBU.

The operation was described as extraordinarily complex and took more than a year and a half to prepare. The SBU first smuggled FPV drones into Russia, followed by small mobile wooden houses. The drones were hidden under the roofs of the houses, which were transported by truck. When the time came, the roofs were remotely opened and the drones launched toward their targets. Zelenskyy later said that 117 drones were used in the strike.

According to the SBU, Operation Spiderweb inflicted an estimated $7 billion in damage to Russia’s strategic aviation.

The agency said the attack hit 34% of Russia’s cruise missile carrier fleet based at its primary airbases.

As of June 2, the first satellite imagery from Belaya airbase confirmed that at least eight aircraft were either destroyed or damaged there: four Tu-95MS and four Tu-22M3 bombers. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on June 2 that a total of at least 13 aircraft were destroyed during Operation Spiderweb, with more reportedly damaged.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attack and said that the targets were airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur oblasts.