CNN: Ukraine’s drone attack the latest in a series of daring David versus Goliath hits against Russian targets

CNN reports that Ukraine successfully undertook a well and long planned attack on the Russian fleet of strategic bombers and reconnaissance planes in 5 different regions of Russia.

It was a remarkable attack, with basic tools, such as drones hidden in trucks, and instruments and a network of spies all over Russia.

According to CNN: “The strikes caused an estimated $7 billion in damages and hit 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers at its main air bases, the source said.

The operation, more than a year and a half in the making, involved drones being smuggled into Russian territory and hidden in wooden mobile houses atop trucks, according to a source in the SBU, Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency.”

The operation was prepared and started more than 18 months ago, which brings us back to Winter 23-24, right after Ukraine completely failed its 2023 counter-offensive.

It is interesting to see that Ukraine had the strength and motivation, the intelligence and personnel to prepare for such large and coordinate guerilla attack in Russia, in particular, targeting Russia’s fleet of strategic bombers and reconnaissance planes.

CNN writes: “More than 40 aircraft were known to have been hit in the operation, according to an SBU security source, including TU-95 and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers and one of Russia’s few remaining A-50 surveillance planes.” CNN added the various other successful hits by Ukrainian spies in Russia, such as killings, bombings etc.

CNN is full of pride about these achievements. But does CNN reflect about the risks and the real background of these achievements? The question remains on how much third party governments and foreign spy agencies have contributed to the execution of this coordinated attack on Russian soil and how the Ukrainian intelligence agency was enabled to handle this build-up of lethal weapons deep inside Russia?

The other matter is quite serious, if it is true that a large numbers of Russian strategic long range bombers have been destroyed – which means a significant reduction in Russia’s nuclear deterrance capacity. According to the Russian nuclear doctrine, such attacks on Russia’s nuclear capabilities requires a nuclear response. Newly also, if such attack originates from a third country sponsored by a nuclear power, which is the case with Ukraine, a Russian nuclear response is possible

CNN is forgetting, or intentionally omitting, that Ukraine and its backers are playing with fire – to take up the formula of President Trump. The escalation of the last days is enormous. The Western media calls it the “Russian Pearl Harbour” – which ended in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings. Ukraine, or from whatever origin those attackers may be, is a proxy of the US and of some European powers. Russia rightfully charges all acts of the proxy onto the responsibility of the master, i.e. the US and those few Europeans. It is a terribly dangerous situation. Russian reactions have been predictable since the Ukrainian war started, in a manner that understood the Russian red lines which were extended step by step.  But a large surprise attack on Russia’s nuclear deterrence capabilities, clearly supported by Ukraine’s sponsors, is the most advanced risk taken by NATO and allies – and can trigger a reaction from Russia.

Some Russian commentators call the latest drone attacks on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet a kind of “last spectacle”, a last show of force of a doomed warrior. Hopefully, this is the opinion of the Russian Government, who should know that Ukraine may do terrible things in a situation when all is lost.