Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Swarm Attack On Russian Airfields, Trump “Not Notified In Advance”

Update (1240ET):

On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued an official statement that a coordinated Ukrainian drone swarm attack targeted and damaged military aircraft across several airbases located deep within Russian territory.

Affected airfields reportedly include:

• Murmansk Oblast

• Irkutsk Oblast

• Ivanovo Oblast

• Ryazan Oblast

• Amur Oblast

Multiple U.S. media outlets—including Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and CBS News—have independently confirmed the Ukrainian drone swarm operation targeted and destroyed approximately 40 Russian military aircraft across four airbases. 

According to Ukrainian intelligence officials cited by CBS News, the aircraft destroyed include Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers, which play a central role in Russia’s strategic and nuclear-capable long-range aviation forces.

✈️✈️✈️🤩🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/XeI5i8Bd39

— MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) June 1, 2025

The Military Balance+, a database maintained by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, indicated that Russia had a fleet of 54 Tu-22M3s and 58 Tu-95MS bombers before the attack. It remains unclear how many of these long-range bombers were destroyed.

⚡️34% of Russia’s strategic aviation (cruise missile carriers) worth about $7 billion was hit by today’s Spiderweb attack – Security Service of Ukraine. https://t.co/hrhHCFlpqL pic.twitter.com/5AMADG5Vil

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 1, 2025

A Ukrainian security official told the Associated Press that planning for the attack took about 1.5 years and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

While White House spokespeople didn’t provide a comment to CBS on the attack, administration sources told the outlet that the Trump administration was not aware of it beforehand. 

Meanwhile, Trump admin sources told CBS that the White House wasn’t aware that today’s large-scale drone attack by Ukraine on the Russian military aircraft was coming

Someone is lying https://t.co/o0zQfuWzhw

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 1, 2025

However…

Ukrainian official: We notified the Trump administration in advance of the attack on Russian airports

— First Squawk (@FirstSquawk) June 1, 2025

Latest headlines:

• RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY ACCUSES UKRAINE OF TERROR ATTACK: IFX

• RUSSIAN DEFMIN SAYS UKRAINE USED DRONES AGAINST AIRFIELDS: IFX

• RUSSIA SAYS SEVERAL PLANES CAUGHT FIRE AFTER DRONE ATTACK: IFX

• RUSSIA SAYS NO CIVILIAN OR MILITARY CASUALTIES IN ATTACK: TASS

Odds of nuclear weapon detonation (view Polymarket)…

Odds of nuclear weapon detonation in 2025 on Polymarket rise from 13% to as high as 19% in last 4 hours https://t.co/VProhE8DV8 pic.twitter.com/isaog1pEkD

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 1, 2025

Nothing like starting the morning with a cup of coffee and watching the Ukraine war inch closer towards major escalation.  

Additional headline from earlier:

• Zelensky Calls Meetings With Putin ‘Meaningless’ And Asks For More Military Aid

And does this mean Russia pulls out of tomorrow’s peace talks? 

*   *   *

Open-source footage circulating on X depicts a coordinated Ukrainian drone swarm targeting Russian long-range strategic bombers—aircraft capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads—deep within Russian territory.

The scale, precision, and depth of the drone swarm attack on multiple Russian airfields have led some military observers to describe the operation as a “Russian Pearl Harbor.” 

Bloomberg reports that over 40 strategic bombers—including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 aircraft—were damaged in a Ukrainian drone swarm attack on multiple airbases, including the Belaya military base, located deep in eastern Siberia.

Here’s more color on the Ukrainian offensive deep within Russia via Bloomberg:

Ukraine’s Security Service chief Vasyl Malyuk led the operation and losses assessed to be around $2 billion, the official said. Ukrainian drones on Sunday attacked a military base near the settlement of Sredniy, Igor Kobzev, the governor for the Irkutsk region that’s some 5,190 km (3,220 miles) from Moscow, said in a Telegram statement. He didn’t specify the scope of the damage. The settlement of Sredniy is in the immediate vicinity of the Belaya military base.

Russian Telegram channels also published unverified reports of a drone attack near the town of Olenegorsk, around 1,840 km from Moscow. The Olenya aviation base is located near Olenegorsk.

Bloomberg couldn’t independently verify reports of large- scale damage to the Russian military bases. Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

X user Visegrád 24 reports that drone swarm attacks targeted four Russian airfields. 

Russia’s strategic bomber fleet burns!

Drones were lunched from trucks near 4 airfields deep inside Russia.

More than 40 planes destroyed at:
– Olenya Air Base in Murmansk
– Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk
– Ivanovo Air Base in Ivanovo
– Dyagilevo Air Base Ryazan
Via @ConflictDISP pic.twitter.com/0weP2viqa2

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 1, 2025

Open-source video footage shared by conflict monitor OSINTtechnical on X appears to show a coordinated Ukrainian drone swarm launched from heavily modified shipping containers on a trailer near Russia’s Belaya Airbase.

Afterwards, the Ukrainian launch truck self-destructed. https://t.co/aCaeDOPlBY pic.twitter.com/q5OdkM5A33

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 1, 2025

BREAKING: Video shows Russian men climbing onto a truck launching Ukrainian drones in an attempt to stop them from taking off. pic.twitter.com/si4VU7jCL3

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 1, 2025

More footage—transmitted via video link from the kamikaze drones—captures multiple strikes on long-range Russian bombers, reportedly resulting in significant damage. Social media accounts claim the attacks targeted both the Belaya and Olenya Airbases.

BREAKING: Major Ukrainian FPV drone swarm hits Russian airbases.

Massive FPV drone attacks struck Olenya and Belaya airbases.

Several Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers on fire. pic.twitter.com/GFxWt4EJ1O

— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 1, 2025

According to X user Insider Paper, Russian military bloggers have likened the scale and impact of the strike to a “Russian Pearl Harbor,” underscoring that a dramatic escalation by Russia in the war in Ukraine could be imminent. 

To note, this attack deep within Russia comes just a day before Moscow and Kyiv prepare to send delegations to Turkey for the second round of peace talks.