{"id":28446,"date":"2025-06-02T13:46:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T13:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=28446"},"modified":"2025-06-02T13:46:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T13:46:46","slug":"putin-plots-revenge-for-russias-black-day-tyrant-poised-to-axe-spymasters-after-strike-on-nuclear-bombers-was-launched-from-warehouse-beside-intelligence-hq-with-kyiv-now-braced-for-vladimir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=28446","title":{"rendered":"Putin plots revenge for ‘Russia’s black day’: Tyrant poised to axe spymasters after strike on nuclear bombers was launched from warehouse beside intelligence HQ – with Kyiv now braced for Vladimir’s devastating response"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin is poised to strike back at Ukraine after Kyiv delivered a devastating blow to the Russian air force on Sunday, with European defence officials warning that Moscow is stockpiling a massive contingent of battle tanks and ammunition.<\/p>\n

The Russian tyrant has stayed out of sight since the attacks on multiple air bases in Ukraine’s audacious Operation Spiderweb – a top-secret mission some 18 months in the making, showing off Ukraine’s capability to stagger the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n

But an insider warned that Putin ‘will hit back at Ukraine’ while also ‘avenging his underlings who allowed this humiliation to happen’.<\/p>\n

The sleeping FSB security service – headed by close ally Alexander Bortnikov, 73 – faces blame over Ukraine using a warehouse next door to an intelligence HQ in Chelyabinsk to prepare the drone strikes on his airbases.<\/p>\n

And Pro-Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomb, believed to be run by Capt. Ilya Tumanov of the Russian Army, acknowledged that Sunday would ‘later be called a black day for Russian long-range aviation,’ adding: ‘And the day is not over yet.’<\/p>\n

Ukraine will now be bracing for Russia’s response. Russia claimed it had intercepted 162 Ukrainian drones overnight, and struck back with a Shahed drone seen on video diving then exploding in a fireball in Izyum,\u00a0Kharkiv<\/a><\/span>\u00a0region as it hit a target.<\/p>\n

Germany’s defence chief warned that Putin has fostered a massive increase in battle tanks – as many as 1,500 each year – and artillery, to be used against Ukraine, but\u00a0also possibly signalling readiness for an attack on a NATO member<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

‘There’s an intent and there’s a build up of the stocks’ for a possible future attack on Nato’s Baltic state members,’ General Carsten Breuer told the BBC as Ukraine struck deep into Russia, claiming to have destroyed 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers.<\/p>\n

Chris Cavoli, NATO’s top commander, echoed the concerns in recent comments, telling the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia was replacing troops, tanks and munitions at an ‘unprecedented pace’, on course to ‘build a stockpile three times greater than the United States and Europe combined’.<\/p>\n

Western military and intelligence officials have also told the\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/a>\u00a0that Russian military engineers were expanding army bases near the border with Finland, expected to house tens of thousands of troops in the coming years.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Russian<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Russian TU-95 Bear strategic bombers at the Olenya airbase on the Kola Peninsula being destroyed by Ukrainian drones thousands of miles away from the front line<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Putin\u00a0stayed<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Putin\u00a0stayed out of sight since the attacks on multiple air bases in Ukraine’s audacious Operation Spiderweb<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Russia<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Russia was left reeling after the attack which left Putin and his army humiliated on Sunday<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Russian<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Russian Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk region, Siberia, was ablaze after a suspected drone strike linked to Ukraine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

Breuer said that the Suwalki Gap, a region that borders Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Belarus, was particularly vulnerable to Russian military activity.<\/p>\n

‘The Baltic States are really exposed to the Russians, right? And once you are there, you really feel this… in the talks we are having over there,’ he said.<\/p>\n

‘We have to be ready by 2029,’ he assessed. ‘If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that’s not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it’s not. So we must be able to fight tonight,’ he said.<\/p>\n

Shortly before Breuer’s comments, Ukraine launched one of its most audacious attacks of the war using a ‘swarm’ of kamikaze drones unleashed from the backs of trucks to devastate some of Russia’s most major airfields.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0strikes have left Vladimir Putin humiliated and his prized warplanes in smouldering ruins, though Moscow has claimed to have ‘repelled’ all the attacks.<\/p>\n

Zelensky said on social media that the operation had ‘an absolutely brilliant result’, adding that it was one ‘achieved solely by Ukraine.’<\/p>\n

He said in a post: ‘One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution.<\/p>\n

‘Our most long-range operation. Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time.’<\/p>\n

‘Of course, not everything can be revealed at this moment, but these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books,’ he said.<\/p>\n

In the wake of the heavy losses, Putin\u2019s Doomsday Radio burst into activity spewing out codewords.\u00a0The UVB-76 channel – which springs into life at moments of perceived danger – is a hangover from the Soviet period.<\/p>\n

But as peace talks got underway in Istanbul on Monday, Ukraine followed up its Operation Spiderweb success with a series of new overnight assaults on Russian military targets.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Smoke<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Smoke rises following what local authorities called a Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Olenegorsk of the Murmansk region, Russia, in this still image from social media video released on June 1, 2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Drones\u00a0were<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Drones\u00a0were loaded onto civilian trucks heading into enemy territory, their hired local drivers seemingly unaware of what they were carrying<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Video<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Video showed the drones emerging from containers on Sunday as Ukraine rained hell<\/p>\n

Sunday’s attack was carried out exactly 29 years to the day after Ukraine handed over dozens of the same strategic bombers to\u00a0Russia<\/a><\/span>, along with up to 2,000 strategic nuclear warheads and 176 ICBMs in exchange for a promise not to be attacked, under the Budapest Memorandum.<\/p>\n

In their most daring attack of the war to date, Ukrainian special forces first smuggled\u00a0117 first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones \u2013 which allow pilots to control them remotely through a live feed \u2013 into Russia.<\/p>\n

Then came mobile wooden cabins, whose roofs had hidden compartments into which the small flying weapons were stashed.<\/p>\n

They were loaded onto civilian trucks heading into enemy territory, their hired local drivers seemingly unaware of what they were carrying.<\/p>\n

Finally, yesterday afternoon, with all the lorries within range of five airfields stretching from northern Russia down to Siberia \u2013 a safe 2,500 miles from Ukraine \u2013 they struck.<\/p>\n

The roofs of the wooden cabins were opened remotely and the FPV drones took to the skies.<\/p>\n

With the help of front-positioned cameras, the missile-loaded drones headed straight for Russia’s highly expensive bomber planes.<\/p>\n

Footage showed decimated enemy planes in flames on the runway and last night Ukrainian security sources claimed to have taken out 41 aircraft worth some \u00a31.5billion.<\/p>\n

These, they say, include the nuclear capable Tu-95 and Tu-22M as well as the surveillance A-50 ‘Mainstay’ plane, worth an estimated \u00a3250,000,000 that is used as a radar and command centre, of which Russia is only believed to have around ten in operation.<\/p>\n

‘Mainstays’ are critical to coordinating Russian fighter jets and air defences, meaning that this will have severely hampered Putin’s war effort.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Ukraine<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ukraine managed to destroy an A-50 Mainstay (pictured), which is used as an aerial command and radar centre<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Also<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Also destroyed were several Tu-22Ms (pictured), of which less than 500 were manufactured<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Ukraine<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ukraine took out an estimated \u00a31.5billion worth of Russian military equipment, including several Tu-95s (pictured)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Head<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Head of the Ukraine’s Security Service Vasyl Maliuk looks at a map of an airfield, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in an unknown location in Ukraine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Moscow<\/a><\/span>\u00a0has long stopped producing any of these aircraft meaning, if confirmed, these assets could not be replaced.<\/p>\n

There are only around 120 Tu-95s and Tu-22Ms in operation and they are vital for\u00a0Putin<\/a><\/span>‘s nightly bombing raids on Ukraine.<\/p>\n

They had been moved to bases thousands of miles away from Ukraine, out of reach of Western-donated Storm Shadows and ATACMS which have a range of up to 185 miles.<\/p>\n

The FPVs, which can reach just 12 miles, would have been the last thing on Russian minds.<\/p>\n

Mr Zelensky last night claimed that the operation took out a third of Russia’s strategic bombers and had been conducted under the noses of its secret service.<\/p>\n

He said: ‘What’s most interesting, is that the ‘office’ of our operation on Russian territory was located directly next to FSB headquarters in one of their regions.<\/p>\n

‘In total, 117 drones were used in the operation, with a corresponding number of drone operators involved, and 34 per cent of the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at air bases were hit. We will continue this work.’<\/p>\n

He assessed that the attack on Putin’s irreplaceable bombers ‘will undoubtedly be in [the] history books’.<\/p>\n

Military blogger Roman Alekhin said the incident will go down as ‘Russia’s Pearl Harbour’ – a reference to the Japanese attack against the US in 1941 that prompted Washington to enter the Second World War.<\/p>\n

But experts also drew comparisons to the 1942 SAS raid on the Sidi Haneish airfield in Egypt, when elite British commandos put 40 Luftwaffe aircraft out of action using jeeps mounted with machine guns.<\/p>\n

While the attack wasn’t a pivotal moment in the Desert War, it massively boosted British morale and disrupted Axis logistics in North Africa.<\/p>\n

It was also one of the pivotal events that helped forge the legendary status of the SAS.<\/p>\n

Former\u00a0RAF<\/a><\/span>\u00a0pilot and military analyst Mikey Kay told the\u00a0BBC<\/a><\/span>: ‘The Russians would never have expected something like this.\u00a0 I mean, it’s genius, if you think about just the devastating effect that it’s had on strategic assets of Putin.’<\/p>\n

Philip O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at St Andrews University, said the raid was ‘the most remarkable and successful operation of the war.’<\/p>\n

He told The Times: ‘This is a big blow to Russian strategic air power, which is hard to overestimate.\u00a0We do not know what the Russian reaction will be, however we can assume it will be violent.’<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Russian<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Russian Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk region, Siberia, was ablaze today after a suspected drone strike linked to Ukrain<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mr Zelensky, who is said to have overseen the operation over the last year and a half, celebrated the strike on social media last night.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian president wrote: ‘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.’<\/p>\n

He added: ‘These are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in [the] history books.’<\/p>\n

A delegation from\u00a0Kyiv<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is due to meet counterparts from Moscow for a second round of peace talks in Istanbul today but it was not clear last night if it would still go ahead.<\/p>\n

Ukraine has said that its proposals will include a full 30-day ceasefire followed by the return of all prisoners held by each side.<\/p>\n

Negotiators also want some 20,000 Ukrainian children who were kidnapped by Russia to be repatriated before Mr Zelensky and Putin meet.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Zelensky<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Zelensky was seen congratulating the Head of the Security Service Vasyl Malyuk<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Russia has so far refused to agree to a 30-day pause in fighting and overnight on Saturday launched its largest strike of the war so far with 472 drones and seven missiles.<\/p>\n

Kyiv’s Operation Spider’s Web struck Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region of Siberia; Dyagilevo air base in Ryazan, western Russia; Olenya air base in Murmansk, northern Russia; and Ivanovo air base in Ivanovo, central Russia.<\/p>\n

The fifth air base was yet to be identified last night. The operation, led by Mr Zelensky and security service boss Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, marks the first time Ukraine has struck targets inside Siberia.<\/p>\n

Kyiv put the cost of the damage at more than \u00a31.5billion because each A-50 aircraft is valued at around \u00a3260million.<\/p>\n

Last night Russia was arresting the truck drivers, but hours earlier Ukraine had reported that its agents were safely home.<\/p>\n

FPV drones usually need a pilot within six miles which suggests Ukrainians may have been close to the airfields during the strikes.<\/p>\n

Hours before the drone strikes a wave of bomb attacks targeted Russian bridges and railway lines in regions bordering Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Russia declared them ‘acts of terrorism’ with seven killed and dozens injured when a passenger train travelling to Moscow was derailed by a collapsed bridge in Bryansk on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Hours later, in neighbouring Kursk where Ukraine launched its major cross-border incursion last August, a freight train was derailed by another fallen bridge.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Malyuk's<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Malyuk’s agency was in charge of the major operation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Zelensky<\/p>\n
+<\/span>19<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Zelensky claimed that this attack was one for the ‘history books’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian army training area killed at least 12 soldiers yesterday and wounded more than 60 others, the Ukrainian army said.<\/p>\n

Kyiv has carried out a series of daring attacks on Russia since the start of the war, with one of first being the counter-offensive which liberated the city of Kherson in November 2022.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian armed forces also took swathes of territory in Kursk last August in what was the first occupation of Russian land since the\u00a0Second World War<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Putin only succeeded in pushing Ukraine out of the territory in March.<\/p>\n

The latest developments will be watched carefully by Western leaders, increasingly concerned by the possibility of a Russian attack against a NATO member.<\/p>\n

Germany’s General Carsten Breuer said Russia poses a ‘very serious threat’ to the Western defence bloc, the likes of which he has never seen in his 40-year military career.’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Vladimir Putin is poised to strike back at Ukraine after Kyiv delivered a devastating blow to the Russian air force on Sunday, with European defence officials warning that … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28446"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28448,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28446\/revisions\/28448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}