🇺🇦 On Sunday, June 1, Ukrainians launched an unexpected strike on five russian airbases deep inside the aggressor country’s territory, demonstrating a determination not to surrender and confirming they have the resources to continue the fight.
Source: OBOZREVATEL
📰 As The Washington Post reports, Ukrainian fighters have proven to be far more resilient than expected before russia’s full-scale invasion over three years ago.
🛩️ Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) secretly delivered a large number of drones deep into russia, concealed in wooden structures transported by trucks. These drones were later launched remotely to strike military targets.
🔥 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Operation “Web” destroyed or disabled about a third of the russian bombers used for long-range cruise missile strikes.
💥 Russian military bloggers compared the attack to Pearl Harbor, as cheap Ukrainian drones, costing only tens of thousands of dollars, inflicted around $2 billion in damage by hitting advanced russian aircraft.
🛡️ Troops who had relied on electric barriers and airfield security are now forced to seriously reckon with a new threat — mass-produced, inexpensive drones easily adapted for combat. This is pushing countries to invest heavily in counter-drone systems.
⚔️ Although Operation “Web” was not a fatal blow to russia, it once again highlighted the extraordinary resilience and rapid adaptability of Ukrainians under extreme conditions.
📈 Ukraine is compensating for a lack of manpower by actively developing a powerful drone sector: about 2.2 million drones were produced in 2023, and the target for 2024 is 4.5 million. russia is also trying to increase production with Iran’s help, but is lagging behind in the tech race.
🎯 The article describes Operation “Web” as a brilliant and bold maneuver that offsets the shortage of munitions for Ukraine’s Patriot air defense systems. Instead of intercepting russian missiles mid-air, Ukrainians are destroying the missile-carrying aircraft directly on the runways.
⚠️ While U.S. President Donald Trump merely voices dissatisfaction with russian attacks, Ukrainians are taking bold action. The drone strike may become a powerful pressure point on dictator putin, pushing him to take negotiations more seriously — especially ahead of the June 2 meeting in Turkey.