Key Points – Following Ukraine’s successful “Operation Spider’s Web” drone strike on Russian bomber bases, Russia retaliated over the weekend (June 6-8) with what Ukraine calls “the largest air assault of the war,” launching 499 missiles and drones at cities across the country.
-Despite the scale of the barrage, which killed civilians in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials claimed their air defenses intercepted the majority of the projectiles.
-Some analysts suggest that while Putin fulfilled his vow to retaliate, Moscow is “struggling” to deliver a response that truly eases the sting of the significant and embarrassing losses to its strategic aviation fleet.
Russia’s Latest Drone and Missile Attack Revenge Did Not Work
Following last week’s major Operation Spider’s Web drone attack by Ukraine on Russia, in which Russia’s jet fleet was struck across the country, doing billions of dollars worth of damage, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate, doing so through a statement on Truth Social by President Donald Trump that followed their
By the end of the week, they had indeed retaliated, although with limited success, at least according to Ukraine’s government.
According to the New York Times, Russia launched 499 missiles and drones overnight, which Ukraine calls “the largest air assault of the war.”
However, the majority of the attacks were intercepted, Ukraine said.
“What the Russians want is the complete destruction of life. In more than eleven years of Russia’s war against Ukraine, they have brought only one new thing to our land, the most widespread Russian ‘legacy,’ ruins and death. We must continue resisting this. I thank everyone around the world who is helping,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X this week. “The Russians are preparing to continue the war and are ignoring all peace proposals. They must be held accountable.”
“Struggling to Avenge”
Per the Daily Beast, Putin is “struggling” when it comes to striking back against Ukraine, following the major June 1 drone attack.
While not as many Russian planes may have been destroyed as inititally reported, it was still a pretty major strike on Russia.
“The blow is significant enough to Russia’s bomber fleet that President Vladimir Putin has to respond to save face,” The Beast ssaid in its analysis. “But while Russia has stepped up nightly drone and missile attacks at Ukrainian cities—framed as ‘revenge’—Putin has not been able to ease the sting of Russia’s lost aircraft.”
The Beast story also echoed reporting that Trump thought the Ukrainian drone attack was “badass,” but that he worried it would cause the war to continue indefinitely.
Poland Scrambles Planes
Also over the weekend, Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe scrambled aircraft in support of Ukraine, to “ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the Polish border.”
“The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the areas at risk,” the Polish Armed Forces said on X, per The Guardian.
The Guardian also reported that the entirety of Ukraine was under air raid sirens as of early on Monday. Also, Russia is claiming that its forces are “advancing to the edge of the east-central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk for the first time in the three-year war.”
“The pro-Ukrainian Deep State map showed forces very close to Dnipropetrovsk, which had a population of more than 3 million before the war, and advancing on the city of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk from several directions,” the Guardian said.
What the Trump-Musk Split Means for Russia
Last week’s very public divorce between President Trump and Elon Musk could end up having implications on the Russia/Ukraine war and U.S./Russia relations, especially if Trump follows through on his threat to pull government contracts from Musk’s companies.
Per Newsweek, if Trump pulls aerospace contracts from SpaceX, it could require the U.S. to depend more on Russia for space launches.
“SpaceX is immensely important to U.S. national security and NASA,” Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Aerospace Security Project, told Newsweek. “NASA would again have to turn to Russia to get to and from the [International] Space Station [ISS].”
Trump had said on Truth Social, during his war with Musk, that “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
Musk had provided Ukraine with access to Starlink satellites early on in the war, although he later made noises about requiring Ukraine to pay for it.
About the Author
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
Ukraine War
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