Sam Cooper

“Borderline Insane”: Analyst Warns American Military Must Prepare as Ukraine’s Deep Strike Signals China Could Launch Similar Attacks from U.S. Ports in Event of War Over Taiwan

KYIV — In its most daring covert action of the war, Ukraine says it has destroyed or severely damaged more than 40 Russian long-range strategic aircraft in a meticulously planned drone assault that struck four military airbases deep inside Russian territory. The campaign, known as Operation Spider’s Web, marks a stunning escalation in Ukraine’s asymmetric warfare strategy—and what some analysts are calling a historic reversal that could tilt the odds in peace negotiations against the larger aggressor.

The mission—overseen by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and personally authorized by President Volodymyr Zelensky—reportedly took more than 18 months to prepare. SBU operatives smuggled first-person-view drones into Russia hidden inside wooden mobile cabins mounted on civilian cargo trucks. When activated remotely, the trucks’ roofs opened and the drones launched directly at parked Russian bombers.

“This was our most long-range operation,” Zelensky posted Sunday on X, noting the assault involved only Ukrainian forces. “One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to execution. These are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books.”

The strikes hit four airbases far from the front lines: Belaya airbase in Irkutsk Oblast, Olenya in Murmansk near the Arctic Circle, Dyagilevo in Ryazan Oblast, and Ivanovo in central Russia.

According to Ukrainian intelligence sources cited by the BBC, the damaged assets include Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 nuclear-capable strategic bombers, as well as an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. The total estimated damage exceeds $2 billion USD.

Footage posted on Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels showed plumes of smoke rising from the affected airbases. In one widely circulated clip, a bystander can be heard saying drones had launched from “a Kamaz truck near a petrol station.” Russian state media acknowledged strikes across five regions and labeled the attacks “a terrorist act.” However, prominent Russian military bloggers confirmed the loss of aircraft and critical infrastructure, including fuel storage depots.

Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev confirmed the Belaya strike, stating the drones had been launched from a civilian truck and that the situation was “under control” with no casualties reported.

SBU officials told the BBC that Spider’s Web was a “logistical and operational breakthrough,” describing a multi-stage smuggling effort that first inserted the FPV drones into Russia, followed later by mobile launch platforms. “Once on Russian territory, the drones were hidden under the roofs of these cabins,” one source said. “At the right moment, the roofs were remotely opened, and the drones took off.”

Zelensky credited SBU chief General Vasyl Maliuk with executing the unprecedented strike. “I thanked General Maliuk for this success of Ukraine,” Zelensky said. “We are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war. Russia started this war. Russia must end it.”

The operation comes amid intensifying cross-border attacks by both sides. Hours earlier, a Russian missile barrage killed 12 Ukrainian soldiers and injured over 60 at a training base. Ukrainian air defenses responded by reportedly downing 385 Russian aerial targets across multiple regions.

The timing of the drone assault—just ahead of a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday—appears aimed at pressuring Moscow. Zelensky has demanded a “complete and unconditional ceasefire,” while Russian officials are calling for a halt to Western arms transfers to Ukraine, a condition Kyiv rejects.

“These strikes are a clear and effective guarantee of Ukraine’s security,” Zelensky said. “Glory to Ukraine.”

Military analyst Tom Shugart noted the implications of the strike could extend far beyond the European theater, warning that Ukraine’s use of covert drone launches deep inside enemy territory raises implications for China’s global trade and access to Western ports.

“A reminder, given today’s Ukrainian drone strikes, that it is becoming borderline-insane that we routinely allow ships owned and operated by DoD-designated Chinese military companies to sit in our ports with thousands of containers onboard and under their control,” Shugart posted Sunday afternoon, referencing mounting U.S. tensions with China over its aggression toward Taiwan.