Russian strategic bomber bases were attacked by Ukrainian drones.
Early in the morning of June 1, 2025, the Ukrainian intelligence agency launched a massive operation, sending a large number of drones directly into several Russian air bases.
The Ukrainian security agency said it hit 41 Russian military aircraft, many of which were core strategic bombers, equivalent to about one-third of Russia’s long-range air force.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not deny the attack, but said the loss was not so exaggerated, only that several aircraft were damaged and needed to be repaired.
But satellite images and video evidence show that at least 13 large aircraft were completely destroyed, including the Tu-95 and Tu-22M3.Ukraine called this operation "Operation Cobweb" and began planning in December 2023 and took a full year and a half to prepare.
Security Director Vasily Maliuk took the lead, and President Zelensky also stepped in and personally asked about the details.
The attack targets are locked in five locations:Belaya base in Irkutsk Oblast, Olenia base in Murmansk Oblast, Jakilevo base in Ryazan Oblast, Ivanovo Seveni base in Ivanovo Oblast, and Ukraine base in Amur Oblast.
These bases are all important towns of the Russian Air Force, housing strategic bombers and early warning aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Ukraine's tactics were sinister. They dismantled the drone parts, disguised them as ordinary goods, and transported them into Russia by land in batches. When they arrived near the base, they used trucks as mobile launch platforms, with wooden containers hidden on the roof and filled with assembled drones.
Early in the morning, these containers remotely opened the covers, and the drone crowded out, running straight to the target on the pitch. A total of 117 quad-wing drones were launched, each carrying explosives, which were not expensive but accurate enough.
Russian media later reported that the attack spanned three time zones, from Siberia to the Arctic Circle, and was more than 4,000 kilometers from the farthest base on the Ukrainian border.
Video released by the Ukrainian Security Agency shows that drones accurately crashed into the aircraft’s fuel tanks and radar parts, causing fire damage to several aircraft.
Although the Russian military intercepted some of them, the air defense system was half a beat slow to respond to these small low-altitude targets. Afterwards, Western intelligence assessed that Russia lost at least 20 strategic aircraft, including 6 Tu-95s, 4 Tu-22Ms, and A-50 early warning aircraft.
The aircraft are key to Russia’s nuclear deterrent system, which regularly launches cruise missiles to bomb Ukrainian cities and has dropped more than 2,000 missiles since the start of the war.
At first, everyone wondered, how could Russia, a nuclear power, have its strategic assets so easily be taken away?The lack of protection of the rear base is one of the reasons, but digging deeper, it is found that the root is in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed by the United States and Russia.
The treaty, which entered into force in 2010, requires both sides to keep strategic bombers visible to allow satellite reconnaissance to verify the balance of nuclear forces.
Simply put, planes can't be hidden in hangars or camouflaged, they have to be placed in the open. This was originally designed as a mutual trust mechanism for nuclear transparency, but it turned Russian bombers into living targets.
Ukraine took advantage of this and took advantage of the loophole to launch a sneak attack with a cheap drone fleet. The treaty requires a limit of 700 heavy bombers, and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed aircraft. Each aircraft is counted as only one warhead, no matter how much it actually carries.
Russia complied with the regulations, and the plane was parked naked on the tarmac, surrounded by tires for protection, with limited effect. Ukraine's move directly poked the soft underbelly of Russia's nuclear deterrent.
As soon as the attack came out, on June 3, Russia retaliated by launching a missile and drone on many parts of western Ukraine, causing civilian casualties.
Then on June 5, Russia launched a large-scale air strike, using the remaining Tu-160 to throw 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles, hitting Ukrainian infrastructure, killing at least 4 people across the country and injuring dozens.
Kiev has become a key target, with a total of 452 missiles and drones. The Ukraine Air Force said it shot down most of them, but buildings were still damaged.
Russia publicly said that this was a response to a "terrorist attack" in Ukraine.Russia has also arrested several Ukrainians suspected of helping, including a man running a freight company in Chelyabinsk, accused of organizing truck transportation.
The military quickly strengthened base protection, installed drone interception systems, and built temporary bunkers in some places. Even considering moving bombers into underground facilities, no matter what the treaty says.
As a result, the mutual trust of the United States and Russia in nuclear weapons was suspended, and it was supposed to be based on this treaty to maintain superficial stability, and now the balance is broken, and the back game is more intense.
This incident sounded the alarm for China and the United States.
David Alvin, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, bluntly stated thatThis incident is alarming. American B-52 and B-2 bombers are also parked according to similar regulations and are vulnerable to similar risks.Treaties are good, but wherever on the battlefield, the opponent won’t tell you the rules.
In the past, everyone thought that there was an agreement to cover the bottom line and follow the rules. Now it is clear that the enemy can take advantage of loopholes at any time. It is too dangerous for strategic assets to run naked like this, and they must be protected quickly.
For example, to build hardened bunkers, improve anti-drone capabilities. drone this idea, previously thought about reconnaissance to hit small targets, this time Ukraine used it to eliminate the strategic base, the effect of the group.
In modern warfare, the unmanned aircraft can become a murderer, whoever falls to lightheartedness, will lose.China must also pay attention to the deployment of its own strategic bombers can not be too sluggish, must learn something from the lessons of Russia.
This wave in Ukraine may seem to be in good shape, but it is actually playing with fire.
When Russia became angry, it retaliated more fiercely, and life became even more difficult for the people of Ukraine. After the attack, although Ukraine promoted a great victory, domestic pressure was high, its economic infrastructure was bombed, and casualties increased.
Zelensky and Maliuk boasted results, but it also made negotiations more difficult, and Russia refused to budge. Internationally,This highlights the cruelty of the military game, and the mutual trust mechanism between major powers is easily exploited by third parties.
Although Russia's nuclear forces have been damaged, they can make up for it from other legs, such as strengthening land-based missiles and submarines. The treaty is about to expire, Russia has suspended its participation, and the future nuclear arms control is even more uncertain.
According to expert analysis, it will take Russia seven years to make up for the lost bombers. Because of the slow production, there is only one newly built Tu-160M a year. In the nuclear trident, the aviation leg is weak and its deterrent power is reduced, but it can still hold on overall.
American bombers are also parked in the open, and the treaty requires transparency, but this amounts to exposing their weaknesses.Although China has not signed the agreement, its strategic deployment has gained experience so that key assets are not easily exposed.
With the rapid development of drone technology, it is more difficult to prevent after AI blessing, and countries have to upgrade their protection systems. Ukraine uses trucks to hide drones and remotely control them. This routine has low cost and high return, and wars may be more common in the future.
Russia has tried to cover planes with tires and draw fake shadows as bait, but it has not stopped the attack. Building hangars is expensive and time-consuming, but it is worth it in the long run. The international arms control mechanism was originally peaceful, but now it has become a loophole, and it is necessary to reflect on how to improve it.
The remaining wave of the incident was still fermenting, and Russia continued its airstrikes on June 6, hitting Kharkov and other places, killing hundreds.
Ukrainian counter-attack, on June 7, claimed to shoot down a Su-35, but Russia did not respond. Western media analyzes, this could boost nuclear risk,Russia is considering tactical nuclear weapons.But for now, it's just lip service.
Although the US-Russian treaty is suspended, the principle of nuclear transparency must beined, otherwise the arms race will resume.The Ukrainian Security Bureau showed losses of 7 billion knots, but the actual numbers are controversial, and the Russian blogger said that up to 13 were damaged.
As a bystander, China has to think about how its own H-6 series can prevent similar attacks. The era of global drones has come, and strategic thinking has changed.
References:
1. Russian media: Ukrainian fighter planes were blown to pieces in air raid China News Network February 27, 2022
2、What do we learn from the Ukrainian "Pearl Harbor" attack on the Russian bomber base? North night online 2025-06-04