Ukraine has launched its most damaging attack yet, targeting Russian strategic bombers with over 100 drones in what is being likened to “Moscow’s Pearl Harbor.” The coordinated strike caused an estimated $7 billion in damage and destroyed more than a third of Moscow’s strategic cruise missile carriers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as his country’s “longest-range operation,” which he said had “absolutely brilliant outcomes” for Ukraine. The drones, strapped with explosives, were hidden inside wooden sheds and released remotely to swarm Russian military bases.
The operation resulted in 41 Russian aircraft being hit at four air bases stretching from the Finnish border to Siberia. Russia’s defense ministry acknowledged that the drones caused fires on several aircraft, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
The attack comes a day after Russia launched its own massive drone and missile assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have been using this tactic of “flooding the zone” with cheap, deadly drones to undercut Russia’s larger military capabilities.
Ukraine is set to meet Russia for U.S.-brokered peace talks in Istanbul tomorrow, as tensions between the two nations remain high. The attack has sparked comparisons with Japan’s 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, but Ukrainian officials have denied any historical inaccuracies.
The operation marks a new precedent in the conflict, and its impact is expected to be significant for Russia’s military capabilities. As Ukraine seeks to negotiate an end to the war, this daring strike demonstrates the country’s innovative approach to warfare and its determination to counter Russian aggression.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/06/02/ukraine-drone-strike-attack-russia-pearl-harbor/83987304007