RUSSIA'S PEARL HARBOUR
Ukraine Hits 4 Russian Air Bases with Truck-Launched Drones from INSIDE Russia
I meant for this to be a day off.
No rest for the wicked!
I shall leave commentary for later.
⚡ALERT: HISTORIC Attack on Russian NUKE BOMBERS! 50% Wiped Out! Trump Approved! DEFCON EMERGENCY!
Ukraine Hits 4 Russian Air Bases with Truck-Launched Drones from INSIDE Russia - 40 Strategic Bomber Planes said lost
Early this morning US-time, Ukraine launched a large Drone Attack against four Russian Airbases; launched from Tractor Trailers deep inside Russia! The bases hit were for Russia's "strategic forces." Forty (40) Bomber Aircraft are reportedly destroyed. An EMERGENCY MEETING of Russia's Security Council has been called.
Ukraine allegedly struck 41 Russian bombers across four separate air bases, some located as far as 4,400 kilometers from Ukraine's borders.
Olenya Air Base in the Murmansk Region
- Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk Region
- Ivanovo Air Base in the Ivanovo Region
- Dyagilevo Air Base in the Ryazan Region
- Severomorsk miiltary base for nuclear submarines
According to reports, Ukraine secretly transported wooden mobile cabins into Russia, disguising FPV drones beneath their roofs. These cabins were mounted on trucks and parked in position, hidden in plain sight.
When the signal was given, the roofs remotely swung open like something out of a sci-fi film. And then?
Dozens of drones launched straight from the trucks, flying directly into the heart of Russia’s strategic air power, obliterating bombers that the Kremlin can’t produce anymore due to sanctions and critical shortages.
The implications are staggering. This kind of operation, conducted this deep inside Russian territory, using mobile disguised platforms, has never been done before. Not at this scale. Not with this level of impact.
Russia just lost a significant chunk of its long-range bomber fleet. And unlike missiles, bombers aren’t quickly replaceable…..
Ukrainian strike on Russian airfields: what we know so far
Military airfields in five Russian regions have come under drone attacks in the first such instance in the Ukraine conflict
Military airfields located in five Russian regions, including those in Siberia and the Far East, have been targeted in coordinated drone attacks orchestrated by Kiev, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The Ukrainian media have claimed it was a major operation targeting Russian strategic aviation. According to Moscow, most strikes were repelled, with some resulting in material damage but no casualties.
Targets
The airfields in question are located in Murmansk Region in the country’s north, in Ivanovo and Ryazan regions in central Russia as well as in Irkutsk Region in Siberia and Amur Region in the far east, the country's defense ministry stated.
According to the Ukrainian media, the airfields housed Russian strategic bombers Tu-95 and Tu-22M as well as an A-50 early warning and control plane among other aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry has not confirmed this information. Nor has it revealed the aircraft types stationed at the airfields targeted in the attack.
Kiev attacked military airfields in five Russian regions – MOD
It was the first time in over three years since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict that Kiev’s forces targeted Russian facilities located in Siberia and the Far East.
Strikes
All the attacks employed first-person view (PFV) kamikaze drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that at least some of them were launched from areas located in close proximity to the airfields. It also blamed the “Kiev regime” for the strikes it branded “terrorist attacks.”
According to both the Ukrainian and the Russian media, the drones were taking off from trucks parked not far from the airfields and loaded with containers. A Russian Shot Telegram channel published a video purporting to show several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying out of one such contained in the Irkutsk Region. Plumes of thick smoke can be seen at a distance behind the truck in the clip.
Sounds of gunfire can also be heard on the video, with a witness claiming that some police officers attempted to shoot a drone down, using small arms.
Another video posted by Shot showed a crowd of people trying to hit the drones flying out of a truck with stones. The video was also recorded in the Irkutsk Region, according to the channel.
Operation ‘Spiderweb’
The strikes were part of a major Ukrainian operation targeting the Russian “strategic aviation” and codenamed ‘Spiderweb,’ several Ukrainian media, including Channel 24 and RBK Ukraine, reported, citing sources within the nation’s domestic security service (SBU).
The SBU itself confirmed it was behind the operation as it published a photo of its head, Vasily Malyuk, looking at the maps of what appears to be five Russian airfields. The security service also claimed that about a third of Russian cruise missile carriers were hit in the attacks.
Russian military strikes Ukrainian drone launch site (VIDEO)
According to the Ukrainian media, the nation’s security service had prepared the operation for more than a year and a half as it gradually transported the drones and moveable containers to Russia. The operation was also allegedly personally overseen by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who reportedly claimed a total of 117 UAVs were used in the strikes, according to the reports.
Aftermath
In Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions, the attacks were repelled and resulted in no damage or casualties, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. In Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, the strikes led to some aircraft catching fire, it added.
The blaze was promptly extinguished, according to the Russian military. No casualties have been reported in any of the incidents. The Defense Ministry also did not report losing a single aircraft as a result of the attacks.
The Ukrainian media have claimed that around 40 aircraft were damaged in the operation, including several strategic bombers. The Russian authorities have not commented on the Ukrainian media claims.
Russian Arctic region under drone attack – governor
Investigation
Some culprits behind the attacks have been detained, the Russian defense ministry said, without revealing the number of those arrested or their identities.
According to Shot, the Russian investigative authorities identified the trucks involved in the attacks and are now “working” with their drivers. Several Telegram channels, including Shot and Baza, also reported that the Russian OSINT investigators traced the drones back to a warehouse located in the Russian Chelyabinsk Region in the southern Urals.
The Russian security service officers have reportedly raided the warehouse in question and are now investigating its owner. Some trucks involved in the attacks also allegedly were registered in the Chelyabinsk Region, according to the Telegram channels.
Botched attack
One truck loaded with drones has reportedly failed to reach its destination, the Russian Telegram channels reported. The vehicle caught fire while on a road in the Amur Region and eventually exploded, the channels reported as they published a video purporting to show the moment of the explosion.
The incident took place a day before the attack, according to Baza. A container caught fire that triggered the explosion was “similar” to the ones seen on videos with drones, the channel said. A man who was driving the truck died in the incident, Baza said. He stopped the vehicle as he realized it was on fire and went to check for the source of the blaze at the very moment when it exploded, the channel reported, identifying him as Vasily P., 62.
Timing
The attacks came just a day before the scheduled talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul. The two nations were scheduled to hold the second round of the recently resumed direct negotiations that were stalled for some three years after Kiev unilaterally walked away from the negotiating table in spring 2022.
Lavrov and Rubio discuss Ukrainian attacks on Russia
The two sides agreed to hold a major prisoner swap involving 1,000 POWs from each side during the first round of talks last month. On Monday, they are expected to exchange peace proposals as part of an agreement reached in May.
Ukraine has significantly escalated drone strikes into Russia in recent weeks, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has earlier described the attacks as attempts to derail the peace process.
The strikes occurred less than a day after two bridges in Russian regions were destroyed in what authorities described as sabotage. In Bryansk Region, an overpass fell onto a rail line, killing seven and injuring at least 69, according to the governor. Hours later, early Sunday, a railway bridge in Kursk Region gave way under a moving freight train, injuring the driver and two assistants.
The Russian Investigative Committee said that both bridges were “blown up” while stopping short of naming any suspects behind the attacks. Russian Senator Andrey Klishas blamed Kiev for both incidents.
The BBC
Al- Jazeera
This report has a very Ukraine bias
Zelensky Boasts Of 'Absolutely Brilliant' Longest Range Strikes While Kremlin Confirms 'Terrorist Attacks'
Update(1645): Ukraine's President Zelensky is spiking the football, and poking the Russian bear (or rather jabbing it pretty hard), as he issued a statement calling Sunday's massive drone attack on Russian territory which destroyed strategic bombers "an absolutely brilliant result".
He described that the attack happened "One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation." The Ukrainians are calling it 'Operation Spider's Web'.
Indeed there are reports of the operation's reach going very far north...
Seems destroying Russia's strategic bombers wasnt enough for Ukraine today - the city of Severomorsk that houses Russia's nuclear submarines - is no longer not violently exploding. pic.twitter.com/xxUFsLXC5H
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) June 1, 2025
Russia's military has since issued official statement confirming the scope of the massive drone swarm strikes:
Military airfields across Russia have been attacked in a series of kamikaze drone strikes, the country's Defense Ministry reported on Sunday, blaming the incidents on Kiev. Most of the strikes were successfully repelled, with some resulting in material damage, it added.
Airfields were targeted in the Murmansk Region in the country’s north, in Ivanovo and Ryazan regions in central Russia as well as in Irkutsk Region in Siberia and Amur Region in the Far East, the ministry said. All the attacks employed first-person view (PFV) kamikaze drones, with some of them being launched from territories in close proximity to the airfields, it stated.
Some of the culprits behind the attacks have been detained, the ministry said, without revealing the number of those arrested or their identities. The Russian military also said that the “Kiev regime” was ultimately responsible for the strikes, which they described as “terrorist attacks.”
Meanwhile, Washington still feigning ignorance of planning stage of attack...
So we're supposed to believe that no one in the sprawling US intelligence apparatus, which plays a granular, intricate role in the Ukrainian war effort, ever received any "notification" of this massive and unprecedented drone attack on Russian nuclear-capable warplanes pic.twitter.com/wYB7PEhcTi
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) June 1, 2025
* * *
Update (1240ET):
On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued an official statement that a coordinated Ukrainian drone swarm attack targeted and damaged military aircraft across several airbases located deep within Russian territory.
Affected airfields reportedly include:
Murmansk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast
Ivanovo Oblast
Ryazan Oblast
Amur Oblast
Multiple U.S. media outlets—including Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and CBS News—have independently confirmed the Ukrainian drone swarm operation targeted and destroyed approximately 40 Russian military aircraft across four airbases.
According to Ukrainian intelligence officials cited by CBS News, the aircraft destroyed include Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers, which play a central role in Russia's strategic and nuclear-capable long-range aviation forces.
✈️✈️✈️🤩🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/XeI5i8Bd39
— MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) June 1, 2025
The Military Balance+, a database maintained by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, indicated that Russia had a fleet of 54 Tu-22M3s and 58 Tu-95MS bombers before the attack. It remains unclear how many of these long-range bombers were destroyed.
⚡️34% of Russia's strategic aviation (cruise missile carriers) worth about $7 billion was hit by today's Spiderweb attack - Security Service of Ukraine. https://t.co/hrhHCFlpqL pic.twitter.com/5AMADG5Vil
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 1, 2025
A Ukrainian security official told the Associated Press that planning for the attack took about 1.5 years and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
While White House spokespeople didn't provide a comment to CBS on the attack, administration sources told the outlet that the Trump administration was not aware of it beforehand.
Meanwhile, Trump admin sources told CBS that the White House wasn't aware that today's large-scale drone attack by Ukraine on the Russian military aircraft was coming
Someone is lying https://t.co/o0zQfuWzhw— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 1, 2025
However...
Ukrainian official: We notified the Trump administration in advance of the attack on Russian airports
— First Squawk (@FirstSquawk) June 1, 2025
Latest headlines:
RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY ACCUSES UKRAINE OF TERROR ATTACK: IFX
RUSSIAN DEFMIN SAYS UKRAINE USED DRONES AGAINST AIRFIELDS: IFX
RUSSIA SAYS SEVERAL PLANES CAUGHT FIRE AFTER DRONE ATTACK: IFX
RUSSIA SAYS NO CIVILIAN OR MILITARY CASUALTIES IN ATTACK: TASS
Odds of nuclear weapon detonation (view Polymarket)...
Odds of nuclear weapon detonation in 2025 on Polymarket rise from 13% to as high as 19% in last 4 hours https://t.co/VProhE8DV8 pic.twitter.com/isaog1pEkD
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 1, 2025
Nothing like starting the morning with a cup of coffee and watching the Ukraine war inch closer towards major escalation.
Additional headline from earlier:
And does this mean Russia pulls out of tomorrow's peace talks?
* * *
Open-source footage circulating on X depicts a coordinated Ukrainian drone swarm targeting Russian long-range strategic bombers—aircraft capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads—deep within Russian territory.
The scale, precision, and depth of the drone swarm attack on multiple Russian airfields have led some military observers to describe the operation as a "Russian Pearl Harbor."
Bloomberg reports that over 40 strategic bombers—including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 aircraft—were damaged in a Ukrainian drone swarm attack on multiple airbases, including the Belaya military base, located deep in eastern Siberia.
Here's more color on the Ukrainian offensive deep within Russia via Bloomberg:
Ukraine's Security Service chief Vasyl Malyuk led the operation and losses assessed to be around $2 billion, the official said. Ukrainian drones on Sunday attacked a military base near the settlement of Sredniy, Igor Kobzev, the governor for the Irkutsk region that's some 5,190 km (3,220 miles) from Moscow, said in a Telegram statement. He didn't specify the scope of the damage. The settlement of Sredniy is in the immediate vicinity of the Belaya military base.
Russian Telegram channels also published unverified reports of a drone attack near the town of Olenegorsk, around 1,840 km from Moscow. The Olenya aviation base is located near Olenegorsk.
Bloomberg couldn't independently verify reports of large- scale damage to the Russian military bases. Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.
X user Visegrád 24 reports that drone swarm attacks targeted four Russian airfields.
Russia’s strategic bomber fleet burns!
Drones were lunched from trucks near 4 airfields deep inside Russia.
More than 40 planes destroyed at:
- Olenya Air Base in Murmansk
- Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk
- Ivanovo Air Base in Ivanovo
- Dyagilevo Air Base Ryazan
Via @ConflictDISP pic.twitter.com/0weP2viqa2— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 1, 2025
Open-source video footage shared by conflict monitor OSINTtechnical on X appears to show a coordinated Ukrainian drone swarm launched from heavily modified shipping containers on a trailer near Russia's Belaya Airbase.
Afterwards, the Ukrainian launch truck self-destructed. https://t.co/aCaeDOPlBY pic.twitter.com/q5OdkM5A33
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 1, 2025
BREAKING: Video shows Russian men climbing onto a truck launching Ukrainian drones in an attempt to stop them from taking off. pic.twitter.com/si4VU7jCL3
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 1, 2025
More footage—transmitted via video link from the kamikaze drones—captures multiple strikes on long-range Russian bombers, reportedly resulting in significant damage. Social media accounts claim the attacks targeted both the Belaya and Olenya Airbases.
BREAKING: Major Ukrainian FPV drone swarm hits Russian airbases.
Massive FPV drone attacks struck Olenya and Belaya airbases.
Several Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers on fire. pic.twitter.com/GFxWt4EJ1O— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 1, 2025
According to X user Insider Paper, Russian military bloggers have likened the scale and impact of the strike to a "Russian Pearl Harbor," underscoring that a dramatic escalation by Russia in the war in Ukraine could be imminent.
To note, this attack deep within Russia comes just a day before Moscow and Kyiv prepare to send delegations to Turkey for the second round of peace talks.
Lt Col Daniel Davis: BREAKING: Ukraine Attacks Russia/How they Pulled it Off
RED ALERT - Russia attacking UKRAINE IN OVERWHELMING manner after drone attacks on Russian air force
From Scott Ritter
Imagine for a minute if Mexican drug cartels launched a drone attack against the B-52H strategic nuclear bomber bases in Minot, North Dakota and Barksdale, Louisiana, and the B-2 base in Whitman, Missouri.
Imagine that a significant number of these strategic aircraft were destroyed and/or damaged by these attacks.
Now imagine these attacks were facilitated by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
What would you do?
Now put yourself in Putin’s shoes.
He has suffered a similar attack on his strategic nuclear assets.
This attack was facilitated by Great Britain, France, Germany and the United States (with or without your knowledge.)
What should he do?
Anything different from what you’d do?
It’s time to end this war in Ukraine.
The problem is Ukraine and its European/NATO and American allies.
It’s time to pull the plug on support for Ukraine.
It’s time to stand the Europeans, NATO and American supporters of Ukraine down.
Russia isn’t the problem.
We are.
Do the right thing.
Save America.
Save the world.
https://x.com/RealScottRitter/status/1929194457951355134?t=AbsVQKFVbHJSMhT3mP_v0w&s=09
When the shit hits the fan, everyone gets splattered.
😡 Damn that Z he is corrupt, sneaky and a warmonger. He is a spoiled brat who has no thot for the rest of the world obviously- thos could lead to WW III