Suspected Ukrainian drone pierces deep into Russia

STORY: Surveillance video captured this explosion on Monday in Russia… hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian frontier.

The culprit for the deadly blast at the main base for Moscow's long-range bombers was a drone, believed to be Ukrainian.

Moscow says three service members died when it shot the drone down.

Some accounts said planes were damaged, although Russia said they weren’t. Reuters could not verify the reports either way and Ukraine did not comment.

The incident could be the latest attack to expose gaps in Russia’s air defenses.

The same base was struck just three weeks earlier by a suspected drone.

Kyiv says the base is home to bombers that have targeted Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.

Also on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with leaders of former Soviet states, but did not make any direct references to the war in televised remarks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the situation at the front in the Donbas region – including in Bakhmut - was “difficult and painful” and would require all of the country’s “strength and concentration.”

As the war enters its 11th month, Putin has said he’s open to negotiations over Ukraine, but has shown no sign of retreating from his demand that Kyiv recognize Moscow’s armed conquest of a fifth of the country.

For its part, Kyiv says it will fight until Russia withdraws.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have died in cities Russia razed to the ground, and thousands of troops on both sides have been killed.

Since October, Russia has been deliberately targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure with drones and missiles. Moscow says the aim is to degrade Kyiv's ability to fight.

Ukraine says the attacks have no military purpose and are intended to harm civilians as winter sets in, calling it a war crime.