Brazen drone strike showcases Ukrainian innovation as war grinds on

The Washington Post ^ | June 2, 2025 1:15 p.m. EDT | Siobhán O'Grady , Francesca Ebel , Serhiy Morgunov and Alex Horton

[E. Pluribus Unum]

KYIV — For 18 months, Ukraine’s internal security service planned an audacious assault on far-flung Russian airfields — first sneaking drones into Russia, then planting them near key military runways.

On Sunday, just ahead of a new round of peace talks, it was go time: Near four unsuspecting Russian military bases, remotely activated roofs lifted off mobile homes and sheds parked on flatbed trucks. Armed Ukrainian drones tucked inside soared upward, then pounced on military aircraft lined up on the runways, engulfing many in flames.

The brazen attack — which Ukrainian officials claimed destroyed at least 13 Russian aircraft and damaged dozens of others — shocked Russia and instantly reduced its capabilities to threaten nuclear attack or launch missile strikes on Ukraine and other countries. It also served as a crucial reminder to Moscow and Ukraine’s Western partners that Kyiv remains capable of exploiting Russia’s weaknesses and disrupting its war plans, despite being outnumbered and outgunned.

Ukraine said the damaged or destroyed planes, some of which were nuclear-capable, included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22 M3 and Tu-160 models — planes Kyiv said Russia had used nearly every night to bomb Ukraine.

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Many details of how the attack was planned are still not public, and it was not immediately clear how many of the Russian planes were operational at the time they were targeted.

But the swift, angry reactions in Russia confirmed that Ukraine had exploited — to devastating effect — an obvious vulnerability: essential and expensive aircraft left out in the open but believed safe because they were deep inside the country. The operation also marked the latest example of drone technology redefining modern warfare.

Western analysts said the strikes will hinder Russia’s ability to launch cruise missiles into Ukraine and could force Russian commanders to shift significant resources...

[tumblindice]

Aragorn, Legolas, and Frodo Baggins? 😁

[tumblindice]

With the significant difference between that raid and this one, we weren’t looking to make peace.

[CatHerd]

Yeah, it might give Ukrainians a temporary boost in morale, but again, no real advantage on the battlefield. And again, at what cost?

Doolittle: We were already officially at war with Japan. Cost was next to nothing. Therefore, the risk/benefit ratio was in our favor.

The Kursk incursion was touted as a morale booster for the Ukrainians, but look at the cost/benefit ratio. It was basically a case of The Flies Have Captured the Flypaper. The Russians picked them off like fish in a barrel. Yet the Ukrainians kept feeding their best troops and their best shiny Western war toys into Kursk, only to lose them. Meanwhile, the Russians kept methodically grinding down the Ukrainians all across the front lines in Ukraine. The cost/benefit was certainly not in Ukraine’s favor. It was a big ouchie.

[Bratch]

Silence is Dangerous – Putin and Trump Quiet as Zelenskyy Brags and Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Turkey End After Less than One Hour

June 2, 2025 | Sundance

President Trump has not made any statement after Ukraine launched an attack yesterday deep into Russia targeting long-range nuclear capable bombers.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has also remained quiet throughout the day today.  However, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking from Vilnius, Lithuania, publicly bragged about the operation today.

According to Turkish officials (note silence from Russia & Ukraine), the previously scheduled meeting between Russian and Ukranian negotiators ended today after less than an hour.  There are no details about what took place inside the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, just that once the meeting attendees were seated and gave initial remarks, the event dissolved.  Both the Russian and Ukrainian teams left the building.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared full of nervous energy as she spoke to journalists outside the White House, noting that President Trump was in meetings and discussions all day while taking phone calls.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have also remained silent.

Inside Russia the general sense is one of preparation.  As I noted in my debrief from last year, the government of Russia has been preparing the Russian people for an expanded escalation of the conflict for quite some time.  The Russian media are deliberately pointing to Ukraine -and only Ukraine- in their domestic reporting of the attacks.  There is no mention within Russian media of EU, NATO or USA support for the events that took place Sunday; however, there were a few mentions of Great Britain as a likely assistant to the attacks.

Russia And Ukraine End Latest Round Of Peace Talks In Istanbul

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -A second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended barely an hour after they began in Istanbul on Monday, Turkish officials said, a day after a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s nuclear-capable strategic bombers.

The talks – the second such direct contacts between the sides since 2022 – had already begun nearly two hours later than scheduled with no explanation of the delay.

[…] Ukraine and Russia have issued starkly different assessments of the damage done to Russia’s fleet of nuclear-capable bombers – a key element in its nuclear arsenal – but it was clear from publicly available satellite imagery that Moscow had suffered some serious equipment losses.

[…] The two sides had been expected to discuss their respective and wildly different ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said the U.S. could abandon its role as a mediator if there is no progress. (read more)

BREAKING NEWS: Karoline Leavitt Vows Deportations Following Terror Attack In Boulder, Colorado

[CatHerd]

Yeah, Norkies are shorter than we are, and of a more sleight build, too.

Now post a picture of American soldiers alongside Japanese soldiers. Are you going to claim the Japanese soldiers are shorter and more slightly built because the Japanese government is starving them?

You picture is just a silly stunt and proves nothing except you’ll go to absurd lengths to avoid learning anything or being man enough to admit to yourself you had been mistaken about something. We all make mistakes. Real Grownups learn, adapt, even change their minds.

[Renfrew]

“But what did it achieve at the operational and strategic levels? “

You should read up on asymmetric warfare. It’s tactics 101 for that.

The goal is to run operations at low cost to you that will force your opponent into high cost defensive postures. At the cost of a few trucks and drones Russia will need to divert resources from the front to protect scattered air bases across Russia.

[CatHerd]

Yes, I know about asymmetric warfare. And have known from the beginning of this war that Ukraine, being weaker, would have to rely on it.

The incursion into Kursk was supposed to divert Russian troops from the front lines. Only it didn’t. Oops.

Now the Russians may well erect nets around their airfields similar to the ones they are using to protect their logistics routes. Some nets. Big diversion. Big whoop.

[MinorityRepublican]

Planes in the open per strategic arms treaty with US.

Putin pulled out of the treaty in 2023.

The current year is 2025.

[The Louiswu]

Multi million dollar aircraft destroyed by $1000 suicide drones, outstanding!!! Can’t wait until one of our fancy F22s or F35s are turned into heaps of crap by this method, that’ll lite some fires under some butts.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Multi million dollar aircraft destroyed by $1000 suicide drones, outstanding!!! Can’t wait until one of our fancy F22s or F35s are turned into heaps of crap by this method, that’ll lite some fires under some butts.

It's so cute watching you little guys on the sidelines in your cheerleader outfits waving pom-poms rooting for WWIII.

[lapsus calami]

 

 

No one has discussed the darker implications of this attack. That could be us, here, in North America.

 

There are foreign & domestic enemies watching, waiting, taking notes, digging into refining that tech every single day. It's not just a Russia and Ukraine thing, but all over the world. Right now. There are rinky-dink nations in Africa that I've barely heard of who even have air superiority, on the cheap. Those drones are to the 21st century what the availability and utility of the AK 47 was in the 20th.

 

A pop-up attack like this is straight up alarming. A bunch of funky old bomber planes in Russia this time. Next time - our refineries, telecomm, power distribution/transmission, water infrastructure? All of it is sitting there for the targeting, by anyone who doesn't like us. Manage to disrupt infrastructure in major metro areas, can have people eating each other in a week's time, not to mention the sort of disruption to the rest of the nation since many a large metro city is a through point if not point of origin for a lot of products and services which are broadly relied upon. As bad as a lot of those places suck in terms of culture and society they still play major roles in commerce for our economic stability. Many an adversary would find that sort of risk to benefit ratio quite appealing. The question is what are we doing about such a threat. Are we on a rapid war-time footing to counter it or still under the thrall of prioritizing multi-million dollar weapons platforms built by the lowest bidding contractor that are already outmatched and outdated before even being fielded.

 

 

[Kazan]

Actually it doesn't.

It took 18 months of planning to pull the attack off and it was a result of the failure of Russian intelligence.

That Putin is running a totalitarian regime and knows everything going on in Russia is a notion that proven to be lunacy by this attack.

[CatHerd]

You ask very good questions. Disturbing ones. Very good observation re drones being the new AK-47, too.

What will we get from the new increased Pentagon budget? Based on what I’ve read so far, it’s what you fear. :(

I hope they will rethink how all that money is spent.

[lapsus calami]

 

 

Another thing - Civil Defense. Has that been re-imagined, updated, since the freaking Cold War? What is the posture for that regarding local and state and fed administration and resources. Seems it has fallen to focus on natural disaster oriented events over the years, but nothing else. A year ago there was a tornado hit in a pretty good sized town near me. Thankfully no one was killed or even terribly injured but it did a fair amount of damage and chaos. I don't care what sort of accolades people crowed about on social media and elsewhere, the response by local officials was loaded with hysterics. Guess those emergency response meetings and "tabletop exercises" didn't amount to much after all in spite of the assurances they portrayed. If people will lose their crap over that I can uncomfortably imagine how command and control would break and collapse in the face of deliberate attacks.

 

 

[CatHerd]

Yes, remember how we were supposed to get a “peace dividend” after the Soviet Union dissolved and the Cold War supposedly ended? We could have invested in R&D and infrastructure and come out way ahead, with no fears of China catching up to us. We could have had a friendly Russia, but the neocons were already plotting to destroy Russia even back in the 1990s and bent on making her our enemy — and in the 21st century driving a very reluctant Russia into the arms of China. Russia will always be a distant third in the superpower department; better to have her aligned with the West than China, no?

Then the stupid neocons thought the Ukraine war and their big bad sanctions would cause Russia to disintegrate into five easy pieces they could then plunder and use as a bulwark against China. And here we are.

When we decided to go to war against terror, we squandered trillions and only proliferated terrorist groups. At the same time, as you pointed out, we did precious little to safeguard our infrastructure against emerging technologies that terrorists might employ against us. (But don’t you dare have the wrong size toothpaste in your carry on bag!)

I get what you are saying re the tornado scenario. Also, the response to the flooding in North Carolina caused by that hurricane was a disaster in itself. The Covid response was just plain nutty — but then again, it was nutty worldwide. It does leave one wondering how haphazard and ineffective the response to a drone attack on our critical infrastructure would be.

[Dr. Franklin]

No one has discussed the darker implications of this attack. That could be us, here, in North America.

The attack is possible due to shipping containers that either weren't inspected at entry, or got in due to incompetence or bribery. That's what this attack demonstrated. Free trade can be exploited by terrorists, or saboteurs.

[CatHerd]

Not inspected *meticulously*. You’ve heard of boxes with false bottoms? These containers had false tops where the drones were hidden.

Consider that around 100,000 containers enter the US each day. Do you think they are all so meticulously inspected?

[alexander_busek]

Doolittle: We were already officially at war with Japan.

And Ukraine is already officially at war with Russia. Your point?

Cost was next to nothing.

During the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942, all 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers that participated in the mission were lost.

Further, three American airmen were killed. Additionally, eight airmen were captured by Japanese forces, and three of them were later executed, while one died in captivity due to disease.

The Ukrainian drone raid on Olenya was, in comparison, virtually cost-free, in terms of human life.

You thus evince a very poor understanding of U.S. history.

One must also acknowledge that, in retaliation for the Doolittle Raid, the Japanese launched the Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 250,000 Chinese civilians and 70,000 soldiers. The Japanese military sought to punish the Chinese for assisting the American airmen who had bailed out after the raid, leading to widespread atrocities and destruction.

So if you'd care to argue that Putin is as bloodthirsty and homicidal Putin as Tojo, and predict that Putin, too, will respond to the destruction of this purely military and legitimate target with atrocities, I am willing to listen to your speculation.

Speculate away!

Regards,

[alexander_busek]

No one has discussed the darker implications of this attack. That could be us, here, in North America.

You are absolutely right! But I would request that you explore that in a separate thread you, yourself, initiate. Otherwise, you could roil the issue by portraying the Ukrainians as employing some sort of "ominous" or "disturbing" technology. Let's not forget: The Ukrainians were fully within their rights in attacking this purely military target (the Olenya air base) and destroying aircraft destined for use against Ukrainian cities.

I share your sentiment and hope fervently that U.S. military experts are watching, learning, and drawing the appropriate conclusions for our own defense. But let's not muddy the waters and/or imply that Ukraine is somehow the "bad guy" here for making use of an innovative tactic to defend their homeland.

Regards,

[alexander_busek]

Yeah, Norkies are shorter than we are, and of a more sleight build, too.

Sleight is a noun that can refer to deceitful craftiness or skill and dexterity. It can also refer to an artful trick or sly artifice. Synonyms for sleight include skill, dexterity, cunning, and craft. - Merriam Webster

You picture is just a silly stunt and proves nothing except you’ll go to absurd lengths to avoid learning anything or being man enough to admit to yourself you had been mistaken about something. We all make mistakes. Real Grownups learn, adapt, even change their minds.

I seem to have touched a nerve here with you!

ChatGPt, is there any evidence that North Korean military personnel are undernourished?

Yes, there is evidence suggesting that North Korean military personnel face severe food shortages and undernourishment. Reports indicate that soldiers often endure dire conditions, surviving on corn powder or even moldy rice due to insufficient food supplies. A South Korean research institute interviewed defectors who described extreme shortages of essential supplies, including food and ammunition. Additionally, a Japanese filmmaker observed clearly undernourished North Korean soldiers washing their uniforms in the Yalu River, near the border with China. Despite North Korea allocating a significant portion of its budget to the military, corruption and mismanagement reportedly leave many soldiers in poor physical condition and unfit for combat. More broadly, a UN report states that 46% of North Koreans are undernourished, highlighting the country's ongoing struggle with food insecurity.

Would you care to post some opposing data, at least suggesting that N. Korean soldiers are actually well-fed?

No, didn't think so!

Regards,