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

A day after Ukraine launched an unprecedented drone attack on airbases inside Russia, the warring sides sat down for a second round of direct talks in Turkey.

The attack injected some much-needed optimism into Ukraine, beleaguered by years of war and worn down by what many see as U.S. pressure to concede to Russian demands.

Putin's helicopter was "at the epicenter" of a "large-scale" Ukrainian drone attack on May 20, Yury Dashkin, commander of a Russian air defense division, said, according to Kremlin newswire Tass. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment by email.

Russian state media personalities reacted glumly to the news of Ukraine's drone strike on Russian aircraft in a clip flagged by Daily Beast reporter Julia Davis, calling for a harsh crackdown on the truckers who were unwittingly duped and the soldiers who posted video of the damage.

Putin could use ‘game-changing’ nuclear weapons in a show of strength hours after Ukraine’s drone strikes, an expert has warned. The Russian leader could use the destruction of his nuclear-capable war planes in the surprise drone attack to justify use of nuclear weapons,

Kyiv launches drone attacks on Putin’s planes after seven killed in Russian bridge blasts - The SBU says it conducted drone strikes on over 40 Russian military aircraft

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again appealed to the U.S. to apply more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin in pursuit of peace talks to end Moscow's 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor -- and as massed long-range drone strikes continued.