Under pressure on the battlefield, Ukraine turns to drones to hurt Russia

The Hindu

2 days ago

Ukraine carried out its largest drone attack inside Russia on Sunday, targeting at least four military airports in four different regions (across four time zones) in the world's largest country. Unnamed officials of the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU), the country's spy agency, have claimed that the attacks 'destroyed' more than 40 Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers that can carry nuclear missiles, causing damages amounting to $7 billion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed in a social media post that the attack, which followed a Russian strike at a military training base in Ukraine, killing at least 12 soldiers, produced 'an absolutely brilliant result'.
While the Ukrainian claims of destroying Russian strategic bombers are not independently confirmed, Russia's Ministry of Defence stated that five regions came under drone attacks and that several aircraft in two bases, one close to the border with Norway and the other in Siberia, 'caught fire'. It said the fire was extinguished, other attacks were repelled and that there were no casualties. Russia also saw two bridges collapse in Kursk and Bryansk regions, both close to the Ukrainian border, killing at least seven people and wounding 76 others. Russian officials say explosives were used to destroy the bridges. All this happened when Russian and Ukrainian officials were preparing to sit together for direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday.
Airfields hit
According to Ukrainian claims, the four regions that were attacked are: Ryazan, Ivanov, Murmansk, and Irkutsk. The Olenya air base in Murmansk, close to the Norwegian border, is around 1,900 km from the frontline. Belaya airbase in the Siberian region of Irkutsk is 4,300 km away from Ukraine. Russian officials said Amur, close to the Chinese border, also came under attack, which was repelled. The attacks on these bases demonstrate Ukraine's growing capability to hit deep inside Russia using cheap drones and innovate tactics, most likely involving undercover operatives.
Per the Ukrainian version, the attack was in the plans for about one and a half years. SBU officials say Ukraine had secretly transported 'first-person view' drones (FPVs transmit a live video feed from their front camera to a pilot's screen) into Russian territory on trucks. Drones were kept in wooden containers on trucks, which were moved closer to the targets undetected. On Sunday, the wooden containers were opened remotely, and the FPV drones, attached with explosives, were launched into the airfields. The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed that the drones that hit Olenya and Belaya were launched 'from the immediate vicinity' of the airfields. Mr. Zelenskyy wrote in his social media post that 'our people involved in preparing the Operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time'.
New rules
This seeks to rewrite the rules of warfare. Traditionally, countries try to attack faraway enemy bases using surface-to-surface or air-to-surface long-range missiles. Ukraine lacks the capacity to mount such an aerial attack against Russia. So it turned to drones, which it was manufacturing at an industrial scale ever since the war broke out in February 2022. Ukraine claimed to have made 2.2 million drones in 2024, and aims to make 4.5 million this year. Drones play the central role in Ukraine's counterattack strategy.
Among the planes that were 'destroyed' are Russian Tu-95, Tu-22M3 and A-50, according to the SBU. The Tu-95 bombers, which carry guided cruise missiles, can hit targets from thousands of kilometres afar. The A-50 are early warning jets that detect enemy aircraft and missiles, and feed intel on Russian fighter planes. 'Russian strategic bombers are all burning delightfully,' claimed Vasily Malyuk, the SBU chief, after the attack. Russia's fleet of strategic bombers is reportedly small — it operates less than 90 Tu-22s, Tu-95s and Tu-160s. (Tu-160 is Russia's most advanced strategic bomber). If Ukraine's claims of destroying some '30%' of Russian bombers are true, it's a heavy blow to President Vladimir Putin and his forces.
Even if Ukraine is exaggerating Russia's losses, the fact that it carried out such a massive attack deep inside Russian territory can be seen as a tactical setback for Moscow. If Ukraine were planning such an elaborate attack for months, there would be questions on why the Russian intelligence failed to detect and deter them.
Russia's military bloggers were quick to term June 1 a 'dark day' in the history of Russian aviation. Some others, especially the nationalist sections, called it 'Russia's Pearl Harbour' and demanded a similar response from the Kremlin to that of the U.S. during the Second World War. Mr. Putin, who has faced criticism at home from the nationalist sections for 'not doing enough' in the war, is likely to come under greater pressure to retaliate heavily.
Battlefield vulnerabilities
But the Ukrainian attack doesn't mask the country's battlefield vulnerabilities. Russia has launched a Spring offensive in the Sumy region, where its forces are making incremental advances. The Russian army took 507 sq km in May, against 379 sq. km in April and 240 square km in March, according to data from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War. From June 2024 to May 2025, Russia gained a total of 5,107 sq. km (less than one per cent of Ukrainian territory before the war), while Ukrainian forces only regained 85 sq. km. Ukraine has not taken any major territorial gains since its Kherson offensive in late 2022. It's a gamble in Russia's Kursk region failed as Russia captured swathes of territories in Ukraine's east last year and then pushed Ukrainian troops out of Kursk with help from North Korea. In recent months, Russia has stepped up air strikes and drone attacks across Ukraine, straining the country's already weak air defences. But despite the weaknesses on the ground, Kyiv remains defiant and audacious as the latest attack shows.
What is to be seen is how the Ukrainian attacks are going to impact U.S. President Donald Trump's push to end the war. When Russia carried out drone attacks in Ukraine late last month, Mr. Trump had said 'Putin had gone absolutely crazy' and that 'Putin is playing with fire'. But on his watch, Ukraine, America's ally, has carried out its most ambitious attack on Russia, that too on the eve of peace talks. The Istanbul talks are set to proceed as per plans. Both the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are in Turkiye. But the Russian response to the Ukrainian attack is almost guaranteed, which could further complicate the diplomatic process.