The positions are absolutely contradictory, Putin said—and the war goes on.
On the 1,221st day of a war that has reshaped the European order, Ukraine and Russia exchanged blows across vast distances — Ukraine striking deep into Russian airspace to degrade the bombers that have long terrorized its cities, while Russia answered with missiles aimed at civilians and the infrastructure that sustains ordinary life. The exchange is not merely tactical; it reflects a conflict in which neither side has found the leverage to compel the other toward peace. With diplomatic talks in Istanbul yielding only a formal acknowledgment of irreconcilable positions, the war's terrible rhythm — strike, retaliation, suffering, stalemate — shows no sign of breaking.
- Ukraine struck a Russian airbase 900 kilometers from its border, targeting four Su-34 bombers and the facilities that keep them flying — a bold reach into the heart of Russian military capacity.
- Within the same news cycle, Russian missiles killed at least five civilians in the southeastern city of Samar, the second deadly strike on the city in three days, wounding 25 more and leaving four in critical condition.
- Energy infrastructure in the Kherson region was also hit, with the regional governor warning residents to brace for prolonged blackouts — a deliberate assault on the fabric of civilian endurance.
- Russia claimed the capture of a village in the Kharkiv region, though the front lines remain largely frozen, with territorial gains measured in settlements rather than strategic breakthroughs.
- Peace talks in Istanbul produced only competing memorandums; Putin declared the two sides' positions 'absolutely contradictory,' offering no signal that Moscow intends to bend toward compromise.
On the 1,221st day of the war, Ukraine announced a long-range strike on the Marinovka airbase near Volgograd, some 550 miles inside Russian territory. Operating jointly across its special forces, security services, and military branches, Ukraine targeted four Su-34 bombers — among the most frequently used aircraft in Russia's campaign of aerial bombardment — along with the maintenance facilities that sustain them. Volgograd's regional governor confirmed drone strikes had hit the Kalanchyovsky district and that traffic across a nearby Don River bridge had been temporarily suspended. Damage assessment was ongoing, with no immediate casualty figures offered.
The strike was the latest in Ukraine's expanding campaign to degrade Russian air power from a distance. But the war's asymmetry remained stark. That same day, Russian missiles hit Samar, a southeastern industrial city, killing at least five civilians and wounding 25 others — the second attack on the city in three days, following a Tuesday strike that had already claimed two lives. Four of the wounded were hospitalized in severe condition.
In the Kherson region, Russian missiles struck a critical energy facility near the front lines, cutting power to several settlements. The regional governor urged residents to prepare for extended outages — a warning that has become grimly familiar as Russia has made energy infrastructure a recurring target, eroding civilian life without direct battlefield engagement.
Russia separately claimed the capture of a village in the eastern Kharkiv region, though the claim could not be independently verified. The front lines have remained largely static for months despite relentless fighting on both sides.
Diplomacy offered no relief. Speaking in Minsk, President Putin dismissed the latest Istanbul negotiations as fruitless, describing the two sides' positions as 'absolutely contradictory' after an exchange of written memorandums. He gave no indication Moscow was prepared to move. The war's pattern — Ukrainian strikes reaching deeper into Russia, Russian missiles falling on Ukrainian cities and power grids, talks collapsing under the weight of incompatible demands — appeared set to continue.
On day 1,221 of the war, Ukraine's military announced it had struck deep into Russian territory, hitting four Su-34 bombers at the Marinovka airbase near Volgograd—roughly 550 miles from the Ukrainian border. The operation, conducted jointly by Ukraine's special operations forces, the SBU security service, and other military branches, targeted not just the aircraft themselves but also the maintenance and repair facilities where Russian warplanes are serviced. The Su-34s are among Russia's most heavily used bombing platforms, dropping ordnance across Ukrainian cities with regularity. Ukrainian officials said damage assessment was underway, but offered no immediate casualty figures. The Russian military offered no immediate response to the claim.
Volgograd's regional governor, Andrei Bocharov, confirmed that Ukrainian drones had struck the Kalanchyovsky district where the base is located, and noted that traffic across the Don River bridge in the area had been temporarily halted. The strike represents the latest in a series of Ukrainian long-range operations aimed at degrading Russian air capacity—a campaign that has grown bolder as Ukraine's drone and missile capabilities have expanded.
But the war's arithmetic remained brutally one-sided on the ground. A Russian missile barrage struck the southeastern industrial city of Samar on Friday, killing at least five civilians and wounding 25 others. Four of the wounded were in severe condition and hospitalized, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak. It was the second Russian attack on Samar in three days; a strike on Tuesday had killed two people. Officials provided no immediate accounting of the damage to buildings or infrastructure, but the pattern was clear: Russian strikes continued to target civilian areas with little apparent military justification.
In the Kherson region to the south, near the active front lines, Russian missiles hit a critical energy facility. Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin warned residents to prepare for prolonged power outages, as the attack had already cut electricity to several settlements. The targeting of energy infrastructure has become a hallmark of Russian strategy in recent months—a way of degrading civilian life and morale without direct military engagement.
On the ground, Russia claimed its forces had captured the village of Nova Kruhlyakivka in the eastern Kharkiv region, according to the Russian defense ministry via state news agency Tass. The claim could not be independently verified. Territorial gains have slowed on both sides, with the front lines largely static despite months of grinding combat.
Meanwhile, peace talks remained stalled. Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Minsk on Friday, dismissed the latest round of negotiations as fruitless. After two sets of talks in Istanbul this month, during which Russian and Ukrainian negotiators had exchanged memorandums outlining their respective visions for ending the war, Putin declared the positions "absolutely contradictory." He offered no indication that Moscow was prepared to move toward compromise. The statement suggested that the conflict would continue on its current trajectory—Ukrainian strikes reaching deeper into Russian territory, Russian missiles falling on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, and the diplomatic path growing no closer to resolution.
Citas Notables
These are two absolutely contradictory memorandums— Vladimir Putin, on failed peace negotiations
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a strike on an airbase 550 miles away matter so much? Isn't that just symbolic?
It's not symbolic at all. The Su-34 is the workhorse of Russian bombing campaigns. Every one destroyed is one fewer plane dropping ordnance on Ukrainian cities. Over time, these strikes add up—they degrade capacity.
But Russia still has plenty of aircraft. How much does losing four actually change the calculus?
It's not about one strike. It's about the trend. Ukraine has been conducting these deep strikes for months now. The cumulative effect is that Russia has to think differently about where it bases its planes, how it protects them, whether it can sustain losses at this rate.
And the Russian response—killing five civilians in Samar—is that retaliation, or just the normal rhythm of the war?
Both, probably. Russia targets civilian infrastructure as a matter of strategy, not just in response to Ukrainian strikes. But there's likely an element of tit-for-tat. The timing suggests it.
The energy infrastructure attacks seem particularly cruel. Why focus on that?
Because it breaks civilian morale without requiring military precision. A power plant hit means no heat in winter, no refrigeration, no hospitals running at full capacity. It's a way of making the war felt by everyone, not just soldiers.
And the peace talks—Putin saying the positions are "absolutely contradictory"—does that mean there's no path forward?
It means neither side sees a compromise that doesn't require the other to surrender something fundamental. Ukraine won't give up territory it's fighting to hold. Russia won't accept a settlement that doesn't secure what it's already taken. So the war continues.
How long can this go on?
As long as both sides have the capacity to fight. Which, given the weapons flowing in from the West and Russia's industrial base, could be a very long time.