Satellite Images Show Aftermath of 'Pearl Harbor' Strike on Russia
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The first satellite images have emerged on social media showing the aftermath of Kyiv's major drone strike on a Russian airbase more than 2,500 miles from Ukraine's border.
The imagery appears to show damage to the Belaya air base in Irkutsk Oblast, Siberia, which Ukraine said had been targeted in a drone barrage on Sunday, along with three other military bases.
The claims could not be independently verified and Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry and the Kremlin for comment.
Why It Matters
The success of "Operation Spiderweb" hands Ukraine a boost ahead of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday with Russia in an attack that pro-Moscow Telegram users have compared to Japan's attack on the United States on Pearl Harbor in 1941 during World War II.
The strikes show how despite concerns over continued U.S. military aid to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression and incremental battlefield gains by Moscow, Ukraine's drone capability is evolving and can penetrate deep inside Russian territory.
What To Know
Geospatial intelligence consultant Chris Biggers posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday what are likely the first satellite images following the strike on Belaya air base in Irkutsk Oblast, that show damage to Moscow's fleet of strategic bombers.
The photos captured by U.S. aerospace company Umbra Space, appear to confirm the destruction of at least three Tu-95MS strategic bombers and one Tu-22M3 aircraft, with damage to a Tu-95MS and two Tu-22M3 bombers.
Today, Ukrainian intelligence reportedly launched 117 attack drones from trucks that had been placed near Russian air bases. I tasked several collects this morning via @umbraspace and my first images have already started processing. What a remarkable success in a well-executed… pic.twitter.com/LzXulw8jnK — Chris Biggers (@CSBiggers) June 2, 2025
The revetted parking positions. pic.twitter.com/WNFYnlEZDz — Chris Biggers (@CSBiggers) June 2, 2025
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council official Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram that at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed, and more were damaged in the overall operation.
Also targeted were the Olenya air base in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, the Diaghilev airbase in Ryazan Oblast, Ivanovo airbase in Ivanovo Oblast and over 40 aircraft were hit.
The Kyiv Independent cited Ukrainian intelligence sources describing how FPV (front person view) drones were taken to Russia, hidden under the roofs of mobile wooden cabins on trucks and deployed remotely.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said the strikes disabled 34 percent of Russia's cruise missile bombers and inflicted approximately $7 billion in damage.
Aurélien Colson, academic co-director at the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, told Newsweek it was significant that Ukraine had destroyed expensive aircraft with cheap drones and that the imagery on social media of explosions dealt a blow to Putin.
Russia's defense ministry said there was a "terrorist attack" on five air bases, adding that several aircraft had caught fire without giving more details.
However, Colsen said that Putin's diplomatic response was limited under the United Nations Charter, Ukraine is allowed to defend itself, including on the territory of its aggressor.
Putin's response will be primarily military with options likely to be another large air attack on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, Colsen added.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk delivered a report regarding today's operation. An absolutely brilliant result. A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation. Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time."
He continued: "I thanked General Maliuk for this success of Ukraine. I instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to inform the public about the details and results of the operation that can be disclosed. Of course, not everything can be revealed at this moment, but these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books. Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war. Russia started this war, Russia must end it. Glory to Ukraine!"
Journalist Murtaza Hussain wrote on X on Sunday: "The FPV drones were reportedly launched from trucks parked inside Russian territory and deployed from the top of removable roofs. Despite losing territory to Russian advances in recent months the UA has pulled off a modern Pearl Harbor. I would brace for serious retaliation."
The Russian Defense Ministry in a statement to Tass news agency said: "Today, the Kiev [Kyiv] regime staged a terror attack with the use of FPV drones on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions. All terror attacks on military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions were repelled."
Its statement continued: "No casualties were reported either among servicemen or civilians. Some of those involved in the terror attacks were detained. As a result of the launch of FPV drones from territories in the exact proximity to military airfields in the Murmansk and Irkutsk Regions, several aircraft caught fire. The fires were extinguished."
Geospatial intelligence consultant Chris Biggers on X next to satellite imagery of the Belaya air base: "What a remarkable success in a well-executed operation."
Ukraine's SBU, per Kyiv Independent: "We will strike them (Russia) at sea, in the air, and on the ground. And if needed, we'll get them from underground too."
Aurélien Colson, academic co-director at the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, told Newsweek: "Ukraine's combined drone attack on Russia's airbases will remain in the military history books."
What Happens Next?
The drone operation took place a day ahead of peace talks in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine as the world awaits what diplomatic and military fallout might be from Putin.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
Zelenskyy's White House re-do
Hello!Rebecca Morin Erin is forecast to steer clearof the mainland United States. I'm thinking of all those who are affected in the Caribbean, such as those in Puerto Rico. Zelenskyy back at the White House Now, it's Ukraine's turn. President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon is meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a potential peace deal with Russia, just days after Trump held an hourslong meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Before the Washington meetings, Trump railed at critics of his recent summit with Putin, where he shifted his position on a Ukraine ceasefire to align with that of the Russian president. He also put the onus on Zelenskyy to end Russia's assault on his country and ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine. Follow the latest updates from Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy. Don't forget about Europe: Trump is also set to meet with European leaders, who are rallying behind Zelenskyy and hope to move Trump away from Putin's conditions for a peace deal. European leaders also participated Sunday in an emergency virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, the group of countries that have offered to provide security guarantees to Ukraine after the war. See which European leaders will meet with Trump. Trump-Putin's meeting: The red carpets were rolled out. The two leaders shook hands. A roughly three-hour long meeting was had. And still, no peace deal. Trump and Putin held a roughly three hour long summit in Alaska, where the two did not come to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Key takeaways from the Trump-Putin summit. Documents left behind: Watch where you print. Government documents with details about meeting schedules and seating charts, as well as an extravagant menu and reminder to pronounce Putin's name "POO-tihn," were accidentally left in a hotel printer in Alaska amid Trump's meeting with the Russian leader. The documents with State Department markings, reported by NPR, were discovered in the printer in an Anchorage hotel around 9 a.m., hours before Trump's summit with Putin at a nearby military base. See what the documents said. A politics pit stop No more mail-in voting? Trump on Monday said he would sign an executive order to abolish mail-in voting, a move he said Putin supported. Mailing ballots is a popular option for voters to avoid waiting in line at polling places on Election Day. Election-security officials say voting has never been more secure and that the president has no role overseeing elections. But Trump has long railed against mail-in voting as vulnerable to fraud – despite election experts, including those in his first administration, who said mail-in voting is secure. What to know about Trump's plan. Texas standoff over Texas, we're heading home. Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives returned to Austin Monday morning after leaving the state two weeks ago in protest of a Republican plan to re-draw congressional maps to help the party gain seats in 2026. The protest temporarily blocked House Republicans from having a quorum to move the redistricting plan forward and drew national attention to Trump's effort to avoid losing the Republican majority in Congress next year. Republicans adjourned its first special session in the state House on Thursday. Democrats refused to return to the state until after that first special session. California's plans to redraw its state congressional maps also prompted Texas Democrats' return. Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics?You can submit them here or send me an email atrdmorin@
Boston Globe
13 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Watch live: Trump to meet with Zelensky and European leaders at White House
President Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House to discuss a path for ending the war in Ukraine. Watch it live:
Axios
13 minutes ago
- Axios
Zelensky arrives to meet Trump backed by seven European leaders
President Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday, fresh off a summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Why it matters: Trump came out of the summit with Putin declaring that it was now "up to President Zelensky" to make a deal. But Putin's maximalist claims to Ukrainian territory make the prospect of a breakthrough in the immediate future highly uncertain. Seven European leaders arrived at the White House ahead of Zelensky. After Trump and Zelensky meet, they will take part in a larger summit with those leaders — all strong supporters of Ukraine. On the agenda: Security guarantees — which Ukraine insists upon as part of any deal — and territorial concessions, which Trump believes will be necessary to achieve peace. The intrigue: Their last Oval Office meeting was disastrous, but two Trump advisers tell Axios they're not expecting a repeat. Vice President Vance, who instigated the flare-up last time, will be in the meeting. So will Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, who were also in the meeting with Putin, as well as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg. The White House did ask if Zelensky would be wearing a suit, after his decision not to last time irked Trump. Zelensky is wearing a black jacket but not a full business suit. The leaders of the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Finland, NATO and the EU have already arrived at the White House. The larger meeting is scheduled to begin at 2:30pm ET. Driving the news: Zelensky made clear in his social media posts ahead of the meeting that while he and those leaders "all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably," he won't cede territory to Russia. Trump doubled down on this stance in a Truth Social post just before Zelensky arrived in D.C. late Sunday that said the Ukrainian leader "can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to," adding there's no "getting back" Crimea and "NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE."
