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| https://www.newsweek.com/russia-drone-ukraine-ww2-2079812 |
Kremlin-controlled television dedicated less than a minute of its news coverage to what has been described as the largest single-day destruction of Russian military aircraft since World War II, it has been reported.
Two state channels in Russia only mentioned Ukraine's daring drone raid in 40-second segments, according to an assessment of coverage by independent outlet Agentstvo.
However, pro-Russian Telegram channels blamed the authorities for not adequately protecting military facilities from what was described as "Russia's Pearl Harbor," referring to Japan's attack on Hawaii on December 7, 1941.
The World War II comparisons did not end there.
John Spencer from the Modern War Institute said on Substack that Sunday marked the largest single-day destruction of Russian military aircraft since Operation Barbarossa in 1941 when Germany launched its surprise invasion of the USSR.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
The Kremlin strictly controls state media messaging over the war it started in Ukraine, but Russian bloggers on Telegram present a far more unvarnished view of hostilities.
The extent of Ukraine's operation, which targeted four airfields as far from the border as Irkutsk in Siberia, and comparisons with what Moscow faced in World War II, will deal a setback to Vladimir Putin.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said its operation, dubbed "Spiderweb," hit 41 Russian aircraft across four air bases on Sunday, according to Ukrainian media.
The operation involved 117 drones launched from trucks hidden across Russian territory and allegedly destroyed or damaged A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3 planes parked at the Belaya, Diaghilev, Olenya, and Ivanovo air bases.
Ukraine said that it had disabled one-third (34 percent) of Russia's strategic bomber fleet, although this has not been independently confirmed.
On his urban warfare Substack, Spencer described the attack as the largest single-day destruction of Russian military aircraft since Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941.
The German Luftwaffe destroyed between 1,200 and 2,000 Soviet aircraft on the ground in just hours, but since then, no single strike has inflicted such concentrated losses on Russian or Soviet aviation, Spencer wrote.
The reported destruction of at least 40 strategic bombers was unmatched in the post–World War II era, made all the more notable that it came not from an air force but by a drone-enabled ambush launched by a nation under siege, he added.
Agentsvo said that Channel One and Russia 1 devoted just 40 seconds each to one of the most daring operations during the full-scale war.
Presenters read out defense ministry statements that drones attacked airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions—the latter not mentioned by Ukrainian sources.
In the first two regions, the Russian TV anchors reported that "several units of aviation equipment" had caught fire, but no other details were provided, it said.
The relative silence continued Monday morning, according to Agentstvo, which said neither channel reported on their broadcasts at 9 a.m., although state agencies TASS and RIA Novosti began covering the attacks after the Defense Ministry issued its statement.
Russian military bloggers were more candid and critical. War correspondent Alexander Kots posted on Telegram that there is an ongoing problem with the protection of Russia's strategic facilities.
Another Telegram channel, "Military Informant", said Ukraine's drone attack on Russian bases "was only a matter of time."
The channel "Novorossiya Militia" said it was unclear why authorities protecting Russia's strategic aviation were unprepared for such an attack. Meanwhile, Alexey Zhivov wrote, "A 'Russian Pearl Harbor' has happened, and the future of our country and civilization depends on how we respond to it."
Yuriy Boyechko, CEO and Founder of Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek on Monday that the success of Ukraine's drone attack showed that Kyiv "has some trump cards up its sleeve."
No diplomatic breakthrough on peace was expected as Russia held talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday, and eyes will turn to what Putin will do in response.
Aurélien Colson, academic co-director at the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, told Newsweek Russia will likely step up missile and drone attacks, but resorting to nuclear weapons "is excluded" given the opposition of China, whose support Putin depends on.
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