According to the unidentified officials , these attacks not only directly damaged Russia's strategic capabilities but also revealed Ukraine's ability to use low-cost drones—each costing less than $600—to destroy Russian military aircraft worth more than $100 million.
According to the newspaper, officials confirmed that Moscow will not remain idle, expecting a strong response in the coming period. They also emphasized that these attacks, despite their strength, will not prompt Russia to scale back its military operations in Ukraine.
The same sources explained that Washington has not yet received any clear intelligence regarding the form of a potential Russian response, suggesting that it could include drone strikes against civilian targets, targeting energy infrastructure, or launching medium-range ballistic missiles.
Officials also revealed that Ukraine did not inform the United States in advance of its plans to carry out this operation, suggesting that this was due to Kyiv's awareness that Washington would oppose its implementation.
For its part, the Kremlin commented on the attacks on Tuesday, with its spokesman confirming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is receiving live updates on the situation and that an investigation is underway to determine the details of the Ukrainian attacks.
On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Ukraine had carried out drone attacks on military air bases in several Russian regions, including Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur. Some of the attacks resulted in fires on military aircraft.
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has launched a military attack on its neighbor, Ukraine, and has made it conditional upon Kyiv abandoning its membership in Western military entities, which Kyiv considers "interference" in its affairs.
