The Ukrainian drone strike on Russian air bases deep inside Russia, launched as part of Operation „Spider Web,” has caused „panic and fury” at the Kremlin due to the unexpected vulnerability of its air fleet far from the front lines, the US press reports.
Ukraine initially announced that Operation „Spider Web” resulted in 41 damaged Russian aircraft. However, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced on Tuesday that 12 aircraft were destroyed, according to The Kyiv Independent.
The attack, known as Operation "Spider Web," has affected Moscow's precious strategic capabilities. But, equally important, it has demonstrated Ukraine's ability to attack almost anywhere in Russia and destroy warplanes worth 100 million dollars, or even more, with simple drones costing only 600 dollars, said a US defense official cited by New York Times.
According to American and European security officials cited by the American newspaper, damage assessments are still being compiled. According to estimates provided by sources of the American daily, approximately 20 aircraft have suffered serious damage, including six Tu-95 strategic bombers and four Tu-22M, as well as an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft.
Beyond the significant damage to Russia's military air fleet, the operation has a strong impact on the morale of the Ukrainian army and population, said a European diplomat.
At the same time, sources cited by Bloomberg say that only a few bombers are needed to attack Ukraine, meaning that the pace of Russia's aerial attacks will not decrease.
An American official says that President Donald Trump's administration was not notified before the attack, as reported by other publications. However, the White House expects a "significant response" from Russia to the Ukrainian operation, the American newspaper writes.
American intelligence services have not yet determined what targets the Russians will aim for, but officials believe that Moscow could resume drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, target the Ukrainian power grid, or launch new waves of medium-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine.