Russian officials are scrambling to defend their narrative after a high-profile Ukrainian drone strike reportedly left dozens of warplanes damaged at air bases deep inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov are at the center of a growing dispute over the true impact of the attack and what comes next.
According to Fox News, Russia insists that its aircraft were not destroyed but only damaged, and the government has vowed to repair them. Ukrainian sources, however, claim the operation, called "Operation Spider's Web," inflicted significant losses on Russia's air force, with satellite images and video footage showing extensive damage.
The conflicting claims underscore the fog of war surrounding Ukraine's most ambitious strike into Russian territory since the full-scale invasion began. As both sides trade accusations and political leaders weigh in, the world is left to sift through satellite imagery, statements, and carefully curated video to piece together the real story.
Ukraine’s ambitious operation
Ukrainian officials say their forces launched a massive drone attack Sunday, targeting Russian airfields and striking as many as 40 aircraft, including some of Moscow’s most advanced bomber and surveillance jets. Zelenskyy reportedly oversaw the operation, which Ukrainian sources told Fox News was more than 18 months in the making.
The attack, dubbed "Operation Spider's Web," marked an escalation in Ukraine’s ability to penetrate Russian air defenses and hit strategic military targets far from the front lines. Video released by Ukraine appears to show parked Russian aircraft erupting into fireballs after being struck by drones, while satellite images reviewed by Fox News reveal scorched runways and damaged planes.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters that the United States believes up to 20 Russian warplanes were hit in the attack, with 10 of those destroyed. Ukrainian intelligence sources have been quick to tout the operation as a major blow to Russia’s military power, although Moscow’s official line remains far more subdued.
Russia disputes destruction
Russian authorities, meanwhile, have downplayed the damage. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency that the aircraft hit in the drone strike were "not destroyed but damaged." Ryabkov declared that the planes would be repaired, signaling that Russia is intent on minimizing perceptions of vulnerability.
Despite these statements, satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies—published by Fox News—shows extensive damage to aircraft and infrastructure at the Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia. Discrepancies between official Russian statements and independently verified images have fueled skepticism among Western analysts.
U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the exact number of aircraft damaged or destroyed, but their assessment of up to 20 planes hit and 10 destroyed aligns more closely with Ukrainian claims than with Moscow’s efforts to downplay the attack.
International fallout and political reactions
The scale and success of the Ukrainian operation have drawn global attention and triggered new tensions between Moscow and Washington. President Donald Trump revealed he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the attack, with Putin warning of a response to what he called a provocation.
Trump posted on Truth Social, saying, "We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields."
On the same day as the drone strike, Ukraine also targeted the Kerch Bridge linking Russia to Crimea with a massive underwater blast, further escalating tensions. Zelenskyy accused Russia of launching a "savage strike" in retaliation, targeting the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy with rocket artillery.
Satellite evidence and credibility gap
Independent satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies appear to contradict Russia’s claim that the drones only caused minor damage. The images, published by Fox News, show multiple aircraft at Belaya Air Base blackened, apparently burned out, and surrounded by debris.
Video released by Ukrainian sources seems to show drones striking parked bombers, causing intense explosions and fires. The scale of visible destruction has led many analysts to question the credibility of Moscow’s assurances that the planes will soon return to service.
Critics of the Russian government argue that the official response is part of a broader effort to control the narrative and prevent domestic unrest over vulnerabilities in Russia’s military infrastructure. At the same time, some Western analysts caution that Ukraine is also incentivized to exaggerate the success of its operations for morale and international support.
