this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
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The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported that the June 1 “Spider Web” drone operation caused approximately $7 billion in damages and disabled 34% of cruise missile bombers in key Russian airbases.

The agency confirmed that more details about the attack will be revealed later.

“And you thought Ukraine was easy? Ukraine is exceptional. Ukraine is unique. All the steamrollers of history have rolled over it. It has withstood every kind of trial. It is tempered by the highest degree. In today’s world, its value is beyond measure,” the SBU wrote, quoting Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko.

They also vowed to continue to drive Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory.

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[–] mhague@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

When you phrase losses of aircraft in percentages of your fleet, you're talking about a disaster.

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, but the wording is weird. "34% of cruise missile bombers in key Russian airbases"

Does that mean "34% of all Russian cruise missile bombers were destroyed by hitting those sitting in key Russian airbases" or does that mean "34% of the Russian cruise missile bombers that were currently present in these specific key Russian airbases were destroyed"?

That's two very different statements with very different meanings.

[–] Soleos@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The estimate is 130-140 aircraft existed in the entire fleet, so sounds like the former.

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

That's good to hear. The former is big news, the second option would be not nearly as relevant.

[–] SalamenceFury@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

That's more than 1/3rd of ALL of their aircraft, holy shit. This just makes it insanely difficult for Russia to save face. ANY truck could be holding hundreds of suicide drones deep into Russian territory. The Russian authorities are gonna be so paranoid they won't be able to coordinate anything.

[–] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Genuine question, what is the end game objectively do you think? Rdors Russia retreat unable to carry the war and then recoil into a depression economy? I seriously don't see Ukraine slowing down at all. The longer this goes on it seems like Russia takes one step and Ukraine takes 1.2 steps forward.

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Most likely ends when Putin loses the loyalty of the top brass and oligarchal mobsters. This attack goes a long way to having the question being asked, surely there has already been hushed tones, if this is the fight they want to ruin Russia for. They have been successful in terms of land gains, not to any great value - ~20% after 12 years is embarrassing. They have lost a lot of goodwill, marketability, economic growth not to mention brain drain, population etc., and they are now facing budget cuts because of oil prices.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 5 points 1 day ago

Or Putin dies of natural causes. Which isn't too farfetched. Then the oligarchs find themselves a Deng Xiaoping-like figure who says "ok, all that was bad, let's do something else".

Probably, Russia will have to face the facts that they can't build their own fighter jets, bombers, tanks, or fighting ships larger than a destroyer anymore. Not on the scale they need. Even if you assume some of the designs they're putting out are good (a big assumption), they can't possibly build them at scale. China is sitting right over there with the factories for those things. Xi Jinping will be happy to take their check, but will make sure it clears first.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

their ICBM fleet is poorly maintained - both land based and submarine launched; this event is a solid kick in the strategic nutsack.

SLAVA UKRAINE!

[–] Floon@lemmy.ml 28 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I very much hope Ukraine's reported success is as good as they claim. Deleting 1/3 of the Russia's bomber capacity against Ukraine is nice.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago

By every account I've read from both sides, seems pretty fucking successful.

Awesome.

"Dozens of long range bombers destroyed"

[–] CalipherJones@lemmy.world 28 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This moment in history is akin to the introduction of airplanes and aircraft carriers. It's a whole paradigm shift. The future of war is drones. God help us if WW3 breaks out.

[–] mineralfellow@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

A few years before WWI, Russia had a disastrous war against the Japanese, whom they had considered an inferior, small opponent that would be defeated quickly.

Time is a flat circle.

[–] caboose2006@lemm.ee 36 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Even if it wasn't the 40 planes claimed, even if it's only the 5 we saw in the video , this is huge. Now Russia has to move MORE anti air assets, and more men, to these airfields and away from the front. Some bombers will be moved farther away, reducing the pace of operations. And if they have to start building bunkers for their big bombers that's tens of thousands of tons of concrete not going to buildings fortifications on the front lines. Not going to road repair. Not going to factories. And that's thousands of workers not doing other, more productive things. The success of this operation cannot be overstated

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

they also hit vladivostok.

on the other side of the continent. all the way from europe to the end of asia.

SLAVA UKRAINE, goddamn

According to a Kyiv Independent SBU source, first-person-view (FPV) drones were covertly transported deep into Russian territory and hidden inside trucks before being launched against four major airfields.

Holy shit that's embarrassing. I mean, those operatives are going to have to flee to Japan to in order to get home, but wow. That's incredible.

[–] Resonosity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Did they hit that city in the same operation? Care to share any sources?

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] BombOmOm@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

lots of shit behind paywalls :|

TWZ has some excellent coverage of the event with nary a paywall.

https://www.twz.com/news-features/what-we-know-about-ukraines-mass-drone-assault-on-russian-bombers

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

TY!

tho no mention of vladivostok in that link, which I think was the purpose of the person I replied to

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 147 points 3 days ago (13 children)

Apparently, the Russians moved a lot of their best bombers far from the front when they realized they were exposed to strikes, so Ukraine hit them with some James Bond, 4D chess operation they’d been planning for a year and a half.

Those bombers had been terrorizing Ukrainian cities, destroying defensive fortifications, and are a key part of the Russian nuclear threat.

Whatever weapons and money everyone is sending Ukraine, double it.

[–] AnalogNotDigital@lemmy.wtf 42 points 3 days ago

If a Republican crippled a historic enemies military without a single soldier dying and did so using a fraction of the US military budget they would put him on Mt. Rushmore, but since Biden did it they, and the entire media apparatus, called him a bumbling fool and senile.

Just like how Reagan gets credit for 'ending the Cold War' when a ton of the legwork for that was put in place by Kennedy, Eisenhower, (yes Nixon too), and LBJ and Carter.

Biden has flaws, and I wish Biden really did more to help Ukraine in the beginning of the war, but him helping out and clearing so much equipment to them was a genuinely good thing that he did while in office.

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[–] Matt3999@lemmy.world 42 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Just as well they didn't let the US (AKA as Putin's removed) know about it beforehand

[–] Wilco@lemm.ee 18 points 2 days ago

Oh yeah. The US leadership is filled with Russian assets and Putin playthings.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (3 children)

I don't think it's because Trump is a Russian asset which is why they haven't told the White House, but because Ukrainians have had bad experience with their plans being leaked before. The 2023 Ukrainian offensive failed because the Russian knew they were coming, and everyone including the media and their mothers shouted it across the rooftops for weeks. Back then, I thought "isn't this a bad idea to report it on the media"? But then I am an armchair analyst so I guess the Ukrainians and Bidem knew what they were doing (turns out they didn't). Since then, Ukrainians choose to hide their intentions.

Edit: incorrect year

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[–] nkat2112@sh.itjust.works 116 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I love the great news of Ukraine beating Putin's sorry behind - and how that development is spreading to many other news sources.

Slava Ukraini!

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[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

The more Ukraine do that, the less everyone else have to do it. Good.

[–] rockerface@lemm.ee 88 points 3 days ago (1 children)

And a lot of the planes that were hit literally can't be produced in Russia any more, to further rub it in.

[–] Bravo@eviltoast.org 3 points 1 day ago

Tell me more!

[–] Dragomus@lemmy.world 83 points 3 days ago

It's a weird sensation to stick to this as someone so far away, but I feel plain proud of all the Ukrainian forces that made this happen so successfully.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 73 points 3 days ago (10 children)

They could just leave and this would all stop. Putins removed ass knows how to stop this.

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