U.S. President Donald Trump privately described Ukraine's drone strike on Russian strategic bombers as "strong" and "badass," Axios reported June 5, citing sources familiar with his reaction.
The operation, carried out by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) on June 1, targeted four Russian air bases deep inside the country. According to Kyiv, 41 aircraft were struck in the raid, causing an estimated $7 billion in damage.
The targeted bases reportedly housed Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers — long-range platforms frequently used to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities amid Russia's full-scale war. While Trump has remained silent in public about the attack, he reportedly expressed enthusiasm behind closed doors.
"He thought it was badass," one source told Axios.
A second said Trump told a confidant the strike was "pretty strong."
One of Trump's advisers reportedly likened the situation to a small but aggressive force managing to hurt a more powerful opponent, using a metaphor about a "chihuahua" attacking "a much bigger dog."
On a TruthSocial post on June 4, Trump confirmed he had discussed the drone attack directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call lasting over an hour.
"We discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides," Trump wrote.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later confirmed that Putin had informed Trump of Russia's intent to respond to Ukraine's attack, according to state-run media outlet TASS.
U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg earlier warned that the operation could lead to escalation.
"When you attack an opponent's national survival system — their nuclear triad — the risk level goes way up," Kellogg told Fox News on June 3.
Ukrainian officials say the drone assault — codenamed Operation Spiderweb — took 18 months to plan. SBU sources claim the attack was carried out using 117 drones launched from trucks inside Russian territory.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the scale of the damage.
While Russian propagandists have attempted to downplay the strike, Putin himself has yet to make a public statement.
Operation Spiderweb marks one of the most far-reaching Ukrainian operations of the war and underscores Kyiv's expanding capacity to strike targets far beyond the front lines.
Olena Goncharova
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