Shortly after Ukraine's surprise drone attack on Russian airfields, the Business Ukraine magazine posted on X: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy = King of Drones. Who 'doesn't have any cards' now?" The post accompanied a drawing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a king on a card. Zelenskyy was seen holding swords, and several drones were drawn on the card.
The message was unmissable. In March this year, during a dramatic face-off in the Oval Office in Washington, DC, US President Donald Trump told Zelenskyy, "You don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don't have any cards." Two months later, Kyiv has pulled off a drone attack that has taken the mighty Russian establishment by surprise. While the scale of damage is yet to be confirmed, the sheer audacity of the attack speaks volumes and pushes Ukraine ahead in the war of perception.
Interestingly, in a post on X after the drone strikes, Zelenskyy referred to the operation -- which Ukraine has referred to as Operation Spider Web -- as having achieved an "absolutely brilliant result". Six words that followed were significant: "a result achieved solely by Ukraine". The message was aimed at Washington DC, after Trump emphasised in the March meeting that Ukraine had no chance against Russia without US support.
Operation Spider Web
Kyiv has shocked Moscow -- and the world -- by targeting military installations deep inside Russian territory in what it described as its "most long range operation". According to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), its drones struck at least 41 aircraft used to "bomb Ukrainian cities". These include Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers and the A-50 radar detection and command aircraft. Moscow has not given out numbers indicating the scale of damage, but confirmed that its airfields in Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions were targeted using first-person-view (FPV) drones. It also said several aircraft "caught fire" in the offensive.
The planning for the drone offensive was immaculate. Drones were smuggled into Russia over 18 months. They were hidden in trucks parked near Russian airbases. At the time of the attack, the roofs of wooden cabins on these trucks opened remotely and the drones launched towards the targets.
The Timing Of Ukraine's Offensive
The timing of Ukraine carrying out these attacks is significant. Russian and Ukrainian officials will be meeting in Istanbul today to discuss plans to end the three-year war, Europe's largest conflict since World War II. The timing of the drone attack suggests that Ukraine would try to leverage more during the talks, having demonstrated its striking capabilities.
In his remarks after the attack, Zelenskyy said Ukraine continues to propose a full and unconditional ceasefire, along with all rational and dignified steps that could lead to a lasting and reliable peace. "The Ukrainian proposal we presented to the Russians is logical and realistic. The Russians, however, have not shared their 'memorandum' with anyone - we don't have it, the Turkish side doesn't have it, and the American side doesn't have the Russian document either. Despite this, we will try to achieve at least some progress on the path toward peace," he said.