‘Brilliant Operation’: Ukraine Hammers Russian Bomber Fleet With Ambitious Drone Operation 

Latest Developments

• Ukraine’s Surprise Drone Strike: Ukraine claimed to have destroyed or damaged nearly a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet on June 1 in its largest drone operation within Russian territory to date, though the precise number of bombers struck remains unclear. Sources from Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency reported that the strikes — praised by President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “brilliant operation” — utilized 117 first-person drones that were smuggled into Russia to strike airbases in Irkutsk, Murmansk, Ryazan, and Ivanovo oblast. The operation followed a Russian attack on Ukraine that deployed a record-breaking 472 one-way attack drones, three ballistic missiles, and four cruise missiles earlier the same day.
• No Ceasefire Agreement: The latest round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine concluded on June 2 without a ceasefire agreement. Meeting in Istanbul, the two sides agreed to exchange severely injured prisoners of war under age 25 and the bodies of 6,000 soldiers killed in the three-year-long conflict. But Moscow continued to insist on maximalist terms for a 30-day ceasefire and final peace treaty, including additional Ukrainian territory and limits on the size of Ukraine’s military.
• Senate Prepares Sanctions Bill: The U.S. Senate plans to move forward with a bipartisan bill that would impose harsh sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin fails to agree to a ceasefire, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said. The bill, introduced by Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and co-sponsored by another 80 senators, would set a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products. However, the legislation is unlikely to become law without President Donald Trump’s blessing. Graham dismissed ongoing talks in Turkey a “Russian charade,” emphasizing that “Putin is trying to delay, drag it out, prepare for another military assault to gain land by force of arms.”

FDD Expert Response

“Those who have been saying Putin is winning are wrong. The Ukrainians are holding their own, even though the support they’ve been receiving from the United States and other free nations has been woefully insufficient. President Trump wants a ceasefire. That’s possible, but only if he makes good on his threats to put ‘devastating’ pressure on Putin. Quick passage of the sanctions bill for which Sen. Lindsey Graham has gathered 82 bipartisan cosponsors will help.” — Clifford D. May, Founder and President

“Ukraine carried out an ingenious, well-planned, and precisely executed strike on the Russian bomber fleet. These same Russian strategic bombers have been hammering Ukrainian targets — civilian and military, without a concern for civilian casualties — for nearly three years, so much so that they caused President Trump to rightly say, ‘Vladimir STOP.’  Unfortunately, Trump has hesitated to put a maximum pressure campaign on the aggressor in this war, Russia, and instead has pressured only the victim, Ukraine. As a result, Putin has taken no steps to end his aggression.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

“As a new round of negotiations takes place in Istanbul, Kyiv knows that Putin only understands the language of power. By launching this attack, Ukraine has shown that actions speak louder than words. Russia is domestically downplaying the impact of this attack — a sign that Putin fears backlash from ordinary Russian people — which might change his calculus in negotiations.” — Ivana Stradner, Research Fellow

“This was a deeply impressive operation that will reduce Russia’s long-range strike capacity — exactly how much will become clearer over the coming days — and force Moscow to shift resources to better protect air bases far from the Ukrainian border. The operation demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to inflict increasing costs on Russia if it continues its aggression. The Trump administration and America’s Western allies should marry these Ukrainian efforts with greater economic pressure on Russia, in addition to sustained support for the Ukrainian military, to help it exhaust Russia’s offensive potential.” — John Hardie, Russia Program Deputy Director

FDD Background and Analysis

“Iranian, Russian Defense Companies Collaborating on Drone Production,” FDD Flash Brief

“Trump Sets Terms as Russia Offers to Talk — Again,” by Peter Doran

“We’re training Ukraine’s brave F-16 pilots — here’s what they need to keep fighting,” by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

“Trump’s Russia Sanctions Toolkit,” by Max Meizlish and John Hardie