The Ukrainian strike on Russian assets at the weekend was a “very important” and “extraordinary” operation with three major impacts, former Ukrainian deputy defence minister Volodymyr Havrylov.

Over the weekend, Ukraine launched a major drone strike deep inside Russian territory, targeting over 40 strategic bombers at multiple airbases. This operation, named “Spider’s Web” by Ukrainian forces, aimed to severely reduce Russia’s long-range missile capabilities.

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Havrylov said: “Number one is reducing Russia’s ability to deliver strategic missile strikes against Ukraine."

The second effect, Havrylov explained, was “raising the morale and confidence of the Ukrainian military society here, which is very, very important now.”

Finally, the attack aimed at “demoralising the Russian leadership and population, which is also very important during this conflict.”

Asked if the strike could negatively impact the new round of peace talks in Istanbul, Mr Havrylov said: “I think the results of this operation inevitably will influence atmosphere of the conversation in Istanbul today.

“Russia will not be so confident in the demands and pressure on Ukraine, with regard to territories around the political changes. So it’s a very timely operation.”

On reports Ukraine did not consult with allies before launching the attack, Havrylov responded: “No, I think any operations sensitive operations like that, they require a lot of security measures and safety measures just to exclude the leakage of information.”

He cited a previous example: “We did similar approach with the Kursk operation when we entered the Russian territory, and we didn’t inform our allies about that, and it contributed a lot to the success of the operation.”

Havrylov stressed: “It’s not about the respect to our partners, it’s about the safety and security of our people.”

He reassured: “I think that our communication, strategic communication with partners is sufficient to explain why we’re doing so and there is no disrespect to that.”