U.S. Intelligence: Ukraine Hit Around 20 Russian Aircraft in Strategic Drone Strikes
U.S. officials believe Ukraine damaged up to 20 Russian military aircraft during a major drone assault last weekend — about half the number claimed by Kyiv.
According to two anonymous U.S. officials, Ukraine’s June 1 strike on multiple strategic airbases in Russia likely hit no more than 20 aircraft, with approximately 10 of them sustaining serious damage or being destroyed. That figure is significantly lower than the 41 aircraft Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed were struck in the operation.
Zelensky said roughly half of those aircraft were “damaged beyond repair,” calling the mission a major blow to Russia’s air power. Despite the discrepancy, U.S. officials acknowledged the strike had major strategic consequences.
“It puts Russia in a much weaker position going into any U.S.-mediated talks,” one official said.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which led the operation, claimed the targets included A-50 early warning planes, Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 strategic bombers, as well as An-12 transport aircraft and Il-78 aerial refueling tankers.
Military site The War Zone, using satellite imagery and video released by the SBU, assessed that at least 6–7 Tu-95MS bombers and 4 Tu-22M3s were destroyed. There was no visual evidence confirming damage to the Tu-160 bombers, and analysts noted that the A-50 and Il-78 aircraft struck were likely already decommissioned.
Russian authorities have not officially commented on the reported losses.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, speaking in a newly published interview, downplayed Kyiv’s claims, stating that Russia would repair the damaged aircraft. “There are contradictions in Ukraine’s statements about the strike’s impact,” he said.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for roughly 75 minutes, said the Ukrainian drone attack was a key topic of discussion. “It was a strong conversation,” Trump said. “It won’t lead to peace immediately, but President Putin made it very clear — he intends to respond.”
Some Western military analysts say the strike exposed a significant gap in Russia’s strategic air defenses, dealing a blow to one of the three legs of its nuclear deterrent force. However, they also cautioned that the damage likely wasn’t severe enough to cripple Russia’s overwhelming firepower or prevent it from continuing large-scale strikes against Ukraine, which have intensified in recent weeks.
(Sources: Reuters, AFP, TASS)
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