Satellite Images Show Aftermath of 'Pearl Harbor' Strike on Russia
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The first satellite images have emerged on social media showing the aftermath of Kyiv's major drone strike on a Russian airbase more than 2,500 miles from Ukraine's border.
The imagery appears to show damage to the Belaya air base in Irkutsk Oblast, Siberia, which Ukraine said had been targeted in a drone barrage on Sunday, along with three other military bases.
The claims could not be independently verified and Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry and the Kremlin for comment.
Why It Matters
The success of "Operation Spiderweb" hands Ukraine a boost ahead of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday with Russia in an attack that pro-Moscow Telegram users have compared to Japan's attack on the United States on Pearl Harbor in 1941 during World War II.
The strikes show how despite concerns over continued U.S. military aid to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression and incremental battlefield gains by Moscow, Ukraine's drone capability is evolving and can penetrate deep inside Russian territory.
What To Know
Geospatial intelligence consultant Chris Biggers posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday what are likely the first satellite images following the strike on Belaya air base in Irkutsk Oblast, that show damage to Moscow's fleet of strategic bombers.
The photos captured by U.S. aerospace company Umbra Space, appear to confirm the destruction of at least three Tu-95MS strategic bombers and one Tu-22M3 aircraft, with damage to a Tu-95MS and two Tu-22M3 bombers.
Today, Ukrainian intelligence reportedly launched 117 attack drones from trucks that had been placed near Russian air bases. I tasked several collects this morning via @umbraspace and my first images have already started processing. What a remarkable success in a well-executed… pic.twitter.com/LzXulw8jnK — Chris Biggers (@CSBiggers) June 2, 2025
The revetted parking positions. pic.twitter.com/WNFYnlEZDz — Chris Biggers (@CSBiggers) June 2, 2025
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council official Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram that at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed, and more were damaged in the overall operation.
Also targeted were the Olenya air base in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, the Diaghilev airbase in Ryazan Oblast, Ivanovo airbase in Ivanovo Oblast and over 40 aircraft were hit.
The Kyiv Independent cited Ukrainian intelligence sources describing how FPV (front person view) drones were taken to Russia, hidden under the roofs of mobile wooden cabins on trucks and deployed remotely.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said the strikes disabled 34 percent of Russia's cruise missile bombers and inflicted approximately $7 billion in damage.
Aurélien Colson, academic co-director at the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, told Newsweek it was significant that Ukraine had destroyed expensive aircraft with cheap drones and that the imagery on social media of explosions dealt a blow to Putin.
Russia's defense ministry said there was a "terrorist attack" on five air bases, adding that several aircraft had caught fire without giving more details.
However, Colsen said that Putin's diplomatic response was limited under the United Nations Charter, Ukraine is allowed to defend itself, including on the territory of its aggressor.
Putin's response will be primarily military with options likely to be another large air attack on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, Colsen added.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk delivered a report regarding today's operation. An absolutely brilliant result. A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation. Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time."
He continued: "I thanked General Maliuk for this success of Ukraine. I instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to inform the public about the details and results of the operation that can be disclosed. Of course, not everything can be revealed at this moment, but these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books. Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war. Russia started this war, Russia must end it. Glory to Ukraine!"
Journalist Murtaza Hussain wrote on X on Sunday: "The FPV drones were reportedly launched from trucks parked inside Russian territory and deployed from the top of removable roofs. Despite losing territory to Russian advances in recent months the UA has pulled off a modern Pearl Harbor. I would brace for serious retaliation."
The Russian Defense Ministry in a statement to Tass news agency said: "Today, the Kiev [Kyiv] regime staged a terror attack with the use of FPV drones on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions. All terror attacks on military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions were repelled."
Its statement continued: "No casualties were reported either among servicemen or civilians. Some of those involved in the terror attacks were detained. As a result of the launch of FPV drones from territories in the exact proximity to military airfields in the Murmansk and Irkutsk Regions, several aircraft caught fire. The fires were extinguished."
Geospatial intelligence consultant Chris Biggers on X next to satellite imagery of the Belaya air base: "What a remarkable success in a well-executed operation."
Ukraine's SBU, per Kyiv Independent: "We will strike them (Russia) at sea, in the air, and on the ground. And if needed, we'll get them from underground too."
Aurélien Colson, academic co-director at the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, told Newsweek: "Ukraine's combined drone attack on Russia's airbases will remain in the military history books."
What Happens Next?
The drone operation took place a day ahead of peace talks in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine as the world awaits what diplomatic and military fallout might be from Putin.
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