Ukraine has released photos claiming that Russian strategic bombers have already been equipped with missiles, preparing to launch an attack on Ukraine. Ukraine's use of drones for the attack is described as "taking the initiative."
Ukraine has also released some photos showing when Ukrainian drones launched their attacks. In the images, the Tu-95 bombers have already been loaded with Kh-101 cruise missiles under their wings. The missile's range is 2000 kilometers. Ukraine stated that these missiles are only attached to bombers before an attack. This means that the Russian military originally planned to deploy these strategic bombers to attack Ukraine. This is what Ukraine refers to as the "Zeus Lightning" operation, where the Russian military hopes to gain the upper hand at the negotiating table.
However, it remains unclear whether Russia was indeed preparing to launch an attack using strategic bombers at that time. This may just be one-sided rhetoric from Ukraine. However, it is true that Russian airbases suffered losses. The Russian side admitted that 13 aircraft were damaged, which is less than Ukraine's claim of 41 aircraft damaged. Other institutions assessed through satellite images that the Russian military lost about 20 aircraft.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834048010045449/
Disclaimer: The article represents the author's personal views.