Ukraine 2 June 2025: In a game-changing escalation, Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a bold drone offensive that destroyed over 40 Russian military aircraft deep inside Russian territory—just hours before planned peace talks in Istanbul.
The unprecedented strike, reportedly overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself, signals a new level of sophistication in Ukraine’s drone warfare strategy and raises the stakes in the ongoing conflict.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the covert operation, codenamed “Web,” marked one of the most extensive and successful long-range drone missions since the war began.
Ukrainian officials revealed that 41 aircraft, including strategic bombers like the Tu-95, Tu-22M, and A-50 early-warning planes, were struck at Russian air bases located as far as 4,000 kilometers away from Ukraine. These aircraft have previously played pivotal roles in Moscow’s missile assaults on Ukrainian cities.
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A senior military source, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, described the operation as “extremely complex,” involving over a year and a half of planning. Dozens of FPV (first-person view) drones were covertly smuggled into Russian territory, hidden inside custom-built mobile wooden structures on trucks.
At the precise moment, the drone containers’ roofs were remotely activated, allowing the drones to launch from deep within enemy lines and hit their strategic targets.
In a video address, President Zelenskyy stated that 117 drones were used, with the operation allegedly directed from an office adjacent to a regional FSB headquarters—Russia’s top internal security agency. Ukrainian intelligence chief Vasyl Malyuk was seen in a released image reviewing a strategic map of Russian airfields.
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Ukraine’s SBU estimates the damage at around $7 billion, claiming that 34% of Russia’s air missile carrier fleet was taken out in a single strike. While independent verification of the damage remains pending, the implications for Russia’s airstrike capability are severe.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense acknowledged the attacks, reporting fires and damage at multiple airfields in the Irkutsk, Murmansk, Amur, Ivanovo, and Ryazan regions. Despite attempts to repel some drone swarms, the precision and depth of the assault appeared to catch Russian forces off guard.
The U.S. was reportedly not informed ahead of the attack. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, briefed during a visit to Nellis Air Force Base, was monitoring the situation closely. A senior American official, also speaking anonymously, noted this operation showcased a new level of Ukrainian military innovation unseen before.
In response, Russia launched its largest drone barrage to date on Ukraine, firing 472 drones and seven missiles across multiple regions, according to Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat. One of these strikes hit an army training base, killing 12 Ukrainian service members and injuring over 60 others, prompting the resignation of Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi—a key figure in Ukraine’s eastern counteroffensives.
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Meanwhile, two Russian trains derailed overnight due to bridge explosions, killing seven. Russian authorities later edited their statements to omit the term “explosions,” raising further questions about internal stability.
Despite the violence, President Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine will participate in direct peace talks in Istanbul starting Monday, led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Kyiv has demanded that Moscow provide its formal memorandum outlining peace terms in advance.
