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.
Genuine question, what is the end game objectively do you think? Rdors Russia retreat unable to carry the war and then recoil into a depression economy? I seriously don’t see Ukraine slowing down at all. The longer this goes on it seems like Russia takes one step and Ukraine takes 1.2 steps forward.
Most likely ends when Putin loses the loyalty of the top brass and oligarchal mobsters. This attack goes a long way to having the question being asked, surely there has already been hushed tones, if this is the fight they want to ruin Russia for. They have been successful in terms of land gains, not to any great value - ~20% after 12 years is embarrassing. They have lost a lot of goodwill, marketability, economic growth not to mention brain drain, population etc., and they are now facing budget cuts because of oil prices.
Or Putin dies of natural causes. Which isn’t too farfetched. Then the oligarchs find themselves a Deng Xiaoping-like figure who says “ok, all that was bad, let’s do something else”.
Probably, Russia will have to face the facts that they can’t build their own fighter jets, bombers, tanks, or fighting ships larger than a destroyer anymore. Not on the scale they need. Even if you assume some of the designs they’re putting out are good (a big assumption), they can’t possibly build them at scale. China is sitting right over there with the factories for those things. Xi Jinping will be happy to take their check, but will make sure it clears first.
Just as well they didn’t let the US (AKA as Putin’s bitch) know about it beforehand
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
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!
How I wish that the general Russian population would know more about it.
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.
It’s really good news that a military state lost their war assets used to wage war (they should have never been built to begin with) but i’m gonna use this thread to highlight something else:
If 34% of russian strategic missile bombers got destroyed in a ukrainian drone operation, EU governments are simply lying when they say russia is going to invade europe and that we must stack more billions on the ones we already spend in war.
Ukraine is part of Europe
The threats used as a leverage to increase the already high military budget of the european union countries are about a widespread invasion of europe and attack to nato.
I agree that Russia wouldn’t stand a chance against NATO, but that’s because NATO is well funded. Spending money on the military is expensive, but not as expensive as Russia invading.
but not as expensive as Russia invading.
Given ukraine managed to wipe 34% of their strategic missile bombers with a drone operation it sounds like there’s room for cuts
And what about US aggression towards parts of the EU like Greenland? You sure you want to decrease military spending against an increasingly facist super power right on your doorstep that has already openly stated to be very much interested in forcefully attaining your overseas territory? I don’t think so. Pacifism, unfortunately, is dead in this new age of multilaterlism and worldwide resurging authoritarianism.
Pacifism, unfortunately, is dead in this new age of multilaterlism and worldwide resurging authoritarianism.
Great, let’s spend the budget in weapons right before the far right authoritarians reach all governments in Europe! Can’t see that going wrong! After all, Europe has never done anything bad militarily!
What would change without having the weapons? Nothing, other than the EU being a soft target for rivaling power blocks, inviting more war into Europe. Look at poor Ukraine. Putler thought them weak and attacked. Same power dynamics since the dawn of man.
You should also keep in mind that the EU is a supra-national federalist construct. So a sudden and all-encompassing power grab of the executive branch by the authoritarians - like the one in the US - simply isn’t possible due to all participating nations still being sovereign and having their own military.
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