Russia’s deputy foreign minister downplayed Thursday the scale of damage done by a Ukrainian drone attack that reportedly destroyed dozens of Russian warplanes.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that many of the planes that were marked as destroyed by Ukraine were only damaged and that Russia would begin repairs immediately.

“The equipment in question, as was also stated by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, was not destroyed but damaged. It will be restored,” Mr. Ryabkov told reporters Thursday.

He did not give a timeline on how long it would take Russia to repair the planes fully or detail the extent of the damage inflicted on the bombers.

The bombers were struck as part of a large-scale drone attack carried out by Ukraine on Sunday. The attack targeted five Russian airbases in the North and far western regions of the country. Ukraine suggested that the attack destroyed up to 40 Russian strategic bombers.

However, other reports suggest that only about 10 bombers were destroyed and 20 were severely damaged.

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The specific types of aircraft affected by the strikes have not been disclosed by Russia. However, satellite imagery from some of the airbases shows damaged Tu-95 strategic bombers and Tu-22 Backfire long-range bombers. Both planes are Soviet-era bombers that have been in use for decades.

Restoring Russia’s bombing fleet may be complicated by the age of its aircraft, posing a potential challenge for rapid repair efforts.

Ukraine’s drone offensive seems to have shaken Russia’s leadership and thrown a wrench into ongoing peace proceedings. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attacks an obvious attempt to sabotage the peace talks, which took place on Monday in Istanbul.

Mr. Putin also had a call with President Trump on Wednesday, in which the Russian leader reportedly said he would respond to the Ukrainian attack.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.