President Donald Trump has been unusually quiet about his personal views on the Ukrainian drone attack in public. However, sources say he was privately pleased with the operation.
“Pretty powerful,” Trump told one confidant, who later shared his comments with reporters.
“He thought it was cool,” another source added.
Trump also indicated that the drone attack would likely prompt Vladimir Putin to take significant action in response, according to a source familiar with his reaction.
Despite his apparent approval of the operation, Trump expressed concern that the attack could derail his diplomatic efforts, which had led to the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years.
“He’s worried that it will drag out the fighting. He wants the fighting to stop, so he gets frustrated every time there’s an attack like this,” a senior official said.
The White House has also voiced concern, particularly because the attack targeted strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, a critical component of Russia's nuclear deterrent.
“This is a very dangerous moment,” the U.S. official said.
Special Operation Cobweb
On June 1, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched a large-scale and complex operation, dubbed Cobweb, aimed at destroying Russian strategic aircraft. On June 2, the SBU confirmed that 41 aircraft were damaged in a coordinated strike on four Russian military airfields deep in the country’s rear.
Ukrainian drones targeted four airfields: Olenya in Murmansk Oblast, Belaya in Irkutsk Oblast, Diaghilev in Ryazan Oblast, and Ivanovo in Ivanovo Oblast. The strike on Belaya marked Ukraine’s first attack on facilities in Siberia since the war began.
Sources within Ukraine's special services told NV that the operation was logistically challenging. The SBU first transported FPV drones to Russia, hidden under the roofs of mobile wooden houses placed on trucks. At the right moment, the roofs were remotely opened, allowing the drones to launch and strike Russian bombers.
The operation, which had been planned for over a year and a half, was executed after a series of brutal Russian strikes on Ukraine, which led to civilian casualties. This occurred amid U.S. attempts to mediate peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.