Drone attack on Russian airbases is huge shame for Putin and his military - Welt
Drone strikes on a number of military airfields in Russia have significantly affected the combat capability of the Russian air force and could have serious consequences for the Kremlin's nuclear strategy.
According to Censor.NET, this was stated by Austrian Colonel Markus Reisner in an interview with the German newspaper Welt.
He stressed that Moscow was probably preparing a response. However, the Ukrainian drone strike was unexpected and extremely effective. The expert compared its scale and consequences to such historical examples as the British torpedo bombers' attack on the Italian fleet in Taranto in 1940, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the Luftwaffe's bombing of Poltava in 1944 (German bombers against parked aircraft of the US 8th Air Force).
According to the expert, according to preliminary estimates, Ukraine was able to destroy or disable about a third of the Russian strategic bomber fleet. This, in his opinion, will significantly limit Russia's ability to conduct massive air strikes on the territory of Ukraine. Since Tu-22, Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft have been one of the main tools of Russia's strike aircraft since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Reisner also noted that the damaged aircraft play a key role in Russia's nuclear triad, along with submarines and silo launchers. Strategic bombers are capable of rapid deployment over long distances with nuclear warheads on board, so their loss is a serious blow to Russia's nuclear deterrent.
"One thing is clear: this drone attack is a huge shame for Putin and his military. Now he has to explain to his people how such an attack could have happened in the fourth year of a full-scale war," the colonel said.
According to Reisner, the reason for the vulnerability of Russian aircraft is that they underestimated Ukrainian capabilities. He suggested that the bombers had been assembled at airfields to prepare for another massive attack, and that defences were minimal. Video from the site of the strikes shows that they tried to protect the planes with ordinary car tyres - apparently without success.
The successful breakthrough of air defence systems was facilitated by an unexpected tactic: according to Welt, drones were activated near airfields up to 4,000 km away from Ukraine, using Russia's GSM network, auto-guidance system and artificial intelligence to recognise target outlines.
Airbases in the Irkutsk, Murmansk, Ryazan, Ivanovo and Amur regions were attacked.
The colonel believes that Russia may respond with a new wave of massive air strikes, including using Su-30, Su-34, Su-35 and MiG-31 aircraft. He also says it is possible that unguided aerial bombs or short- and medium-range missiles could be used against Ukraine's border cities, including Sumy and Kharkiv.
Against the backdrop of discussions about supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine, Reisner stressed the effectiveness of drones as an asymmetric weapon. However, he believes that such large-scale operations are unlikely to be repeated many times, as the element of surprise has been lost and Russia will tighten security measures.
Nevertheless, the successful attack demonstrates Ukraine's ability to disable critical facilities deep behind enemy lines. According to the Austrian colonel, if Kyiv were able to carry out such operations on a regular basis for a long time, it could seriously undermine Russia's military potential without the need for nuclear blackmail.
SSU special operation "Pavutyna"
According to Censor.NET's sources, on 1 June, the Security Service of Ukraine carried out a special operation "Pavutyna", launching a massive drone strike on Russian strategic aviation airfields.
The airfields of Olenya, Belaya, Dyagilevo and Ivanovo came under attack. They managed to hit 41 Russian aircraft, including A-50s, Tu-95s and Tu-22 M3s.
Later, the SSU clarified that the estimated cost of the enemy's strategic aviation, which was hit today as a result of the SSU's "Pavutyna" special operation, was $7 billion.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy listened to a report by the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk on the Operation "Pavutyna".
