The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported that the June 1 “Spider Web” drone operation caused approximately $7 billion in damages and disabled 34% of cruise missile bombers in key Russian airbases.

The agency confirmed that more details about the attack will be revealed later.

“And you thought Ukraine was easy? Ukraine is exceptional. Ukraine is unique. All the steamrollers of history have rolled over it. It has withstood every kind of trial. It is tempered by the highest degree. In today’s world, its value is beyond measure,” the SBU wrote, quoting Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko.

They also vowed to continue to drive Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory.

  • N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    21 days ago

    Apparently, the Russians moved a lot of their best bombers far from the front when they realized they were exposed to strikes, so Ukraine hit them with some James Bond, 4D chess operation they’d been planning for a year and a half.

    Those bombers had been terrorizing Ukrainian cities, destroying defensive fortifications, and are a key part of the Russian nuclear threat.

    Whatever weapons and money everyone is sending Ukraine, double it.

    • MrNesser@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      Apparently the FOB for the Ukrainians was next door to a FSB post

      They shared the same Starbucks

    • Resonosity@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      Ukraine did this with $500 drones. No infantry. No tanks or fighter jets.

      Ukraine doesn’t have the numbers to continue this war, less they want to start drafting 18 year olds.

      As much as I want to send them more money and arms, I want a ceasefire and end. Ukraine has lost enough, and they deserve peace.

      I doubt Russia will agree to any peace talks though. And it’ll be tough to replicate Operation Spiderweb now that Russia knows how it was conducted.

      Such a tragic fucking state of affairs

      • Silicon@lemmy.world
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        20 days ago

        Russia is so incompetent I’m sure Ukraine could execute something similar several times again.

    • Kekzkrieger@feddit.org
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      21 days ago

      Are we sure that these were the aircrafts shooting the bombs?

      Dont get me wrong, i hope they were and every Russian plane that goes up in flames is good, i just want to be really happy if there is some proof those were the actual planes that Ruzzia was using.

      • MDCCCLV@lemmy.ca
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        21 days ago

        They’re heavy strategic bombers, like a full size commercial jet, they don’t have a lot of them and they could use more. So yes, these were definitively used to bomb Ukraine.

  • nkat2112@sh.itjust.works
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    21 days ago

    I love the great news of Ukraine beating Putin’s sorry behind - and how that development is spreading to many other news sources.

    Slava Ukraini!

      • Dzso@lemmy.world
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        21 days ago

        I live in a place full of Russians. Trust me, they know. The official state media tries to cover it up, but it’s getting harder and harder. Most Russians know, they just can’t talk about it publicly without risking prison. But Putin’s days are numbered.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        21 days ago

        And what you have them know? Putin has prosecuted his propaganda in Russia exactly as he had in the West.

        Russians think any and all news is bullshit, no source is to be trusted. And look what we have in America today. Huh.

  • Dragomus@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    It’s a weird sensation to stick to this as someone so far away, but I feel plain proud of all the Ukrainian forces that made this happen so successfully.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      At this point, Putin can’t stop. Weird that everyone acts like he has a choice.

      Putin committed to this play, and then went all-in when it didn’t play. Three years later, Russia is relying on a rickety, unstable, wartime economy, suffering more and more sanctions. If he pulls out, the whole house of cards comes tumbling down, utter ruin. Which would be fine by me. Fuck Russia.

      • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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        21 days ago

        He could declare victory and go home. Brag that he forced Ukraine into talks and that he stopped Ukraine from joining NATO and got some small land gains.

        • shalafi@lemmy.world
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          20 days ago

          And crash his wartime economy? Well, yes, he does have the choice of blowing his own brains out, but most of us don’t consider that a choice.

  • Matt3999@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    Just as well they didn’t let the US (AKA as Putin’s bitch) know about it beforehand

    • Wilco@lemm.ee
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      20 days ago

      Oh yeah. The US leadership is filled with Russian assets and Putin playthings.

    • TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world
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      18 days ago

      I don’t think it’s because Trump is a Russian asset which is why they haven’t told the White House, but because Ukrainians have had bad experience with their plans being leaked before. The 2023 Ukrainian offensive failed because the Russian knew they were coming, and everyone including the media and their mothers shouted it across the rooftops for weeks. Back then, I thought “isn’t this a bad idea to report it on the media”? But then I am an armchair analyst so I guess the Ukrainians and Bidem knew what they were doing (turns out they didn’t). Since then, Ukrainians choose to hide their intentions.

      Edit: incorrect year

  • caboose2006@lemm.ee
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    21 days ago

    Even if it wasn’t the 40 planes claimed, even if it’s only the 5 we saw in the video , this is huge. Now Russia has to move MORE anti air assets, and more men, to these airfields and away from the front. Some bombers will be moved farther away, reducing the pace of operations. And if they have to start building bunkers for their big bombers that’s tens of thousands of tons of concrete not going to buildings fortifications on the front lines. Not going to road repair. Not going to factories. And that’s thousands of workers not doing other, more productive things. The success of this operation cannot be overstated

  • CalipherJones@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    This moment in history is akin to the introduction of airplanes and aircraft carriers. It’s a whole paradigm shift. The future of war is drones. God help us if WW3 breaks out.

    • mineralfellow@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      A few years before WWI, Russia had a disastrous war against the Japanese, whom they had considered an inferior, small opponent that would be defeated quickly.

      Time is a flat circle.

  • Floon@lemmy.ml
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    20 days ago

    I very much hope Ukraine’s reported success is as good as they claim. Deleting 1/3 of the Russia’s bomber capacity against Ukraine is nice.

    • Dasus@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      By every account I’ve read from both sides, seems pretty fucking successful.

      Awesome.

      “Dozens of long range bombers destroyed”

  • Anonymaus@feddit.org
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    21 days ago

    If usa would supply ukraine with weapons, instead of talking big, we would see a lot more destroyed russian weapons

    • BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      The U.S. doesn’t even talk big on Ukraine anymore. Proposing a joke of a “peace plan” where Russia gets their land and we get their minerals. Insulting Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The Ukrainians kept us in the dark on this one so Trump wouldn’t do any stupid shit like when he blabbed to Putin and got all our informants killed. Trusting the U.S. to do anything constructive on Ukraine would be a fool’s errand.

      • NotJohnSmith@feddit.uk
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        20 days ago

        I thought I’d remembered correctly that there had been a Ukraine:US data leak that had compromised agents but couldn’t recall the details. Thanks (and very much justification for not telling an external country what your country’s plans are).

  • mhague@lemmy.world
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    When you phrase losses of aircraft in percentages of your fleet, you’re talking about a disaster.

    • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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      Yeah, but the wording is weird. “34% of cruise missile bombers in key Russian airbases”

      Does that mean “34% of all Russian cruise missile bombers were destroyed by hitting those sitting in key Russian airbases” or does that mean “34% of the Russian cruise missile bombers that were currently present in these specific key Russian airbases were destroyed”?

      That’s two very different statements with very different meanings.

      • Soleos@lemmy.world
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        The estimate is 130-140 aircraft existed in the entire fleet, so sounds like the former.

  • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    their ICBM fleet is poorly maintained - both land based and submarine launched; this event is a solid kick in the strategic nutsack.

    SLAVA UKRAINE!