Ukraine's drone strike on Russia's air bases under 'investigation,' Kremlin says in first reaction to Operation Spiderweb
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about Ukraine's recent drone attack against Russian air bases, and the "incident" is being investigated, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 3, according to the state-run news agency TASS.
The operation, conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 1, reportedly hit 41 bomber planes and other aircraft, inflicting what Kyiv claims is $7 billion in damage and disabling over a third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet.
Peskov's comments marked the first reaction by the Kremlin to the attack. Despite the operation's scale, Putin has not commented on it publicly.
"The president received information about the incident online," Peskov said.
"An investigation has been launched by the Investigative Committee. There was also a corresponding statement from the Defense Ministry."
The Kremlin's muted response contrasts sharply with jubilant reactions in Ukraine, where officials described the coordinated drone strikes as a major success.
The SBU said 117 drones, launched from concealed trucks positioned across Russian territory, simultaneously struck airfields in at least four regions — including sites thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The targeted air bases reportedly housed Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, key carriers of long-range cruise missiles used in Moscow's air strikes on Ukrainian cities.
The operation reportedly took 18 months of planning and was timed just days after Russia launched a wave of mass aerial assaults on Ukraine, including the record-setting attack on June 2 that killed and injured civilians.
While the Kremlin remains restrained, some Russian pro-war commentators and propagandists have responded with fury.
Some downplayed the attack's scale, while others called for nuclear retaliation or strikes on NATO airfields in response to what they described as Western complicity.
No NATO member state has confirmed involvement in Operation Spiderweb.
Oleg Sukhov
