UKRAINIAN OPERATION "SPIDERWEB" – A TURNING POINT IN MODERN WARFARE

Strengthened Negotiating Position of Ukraine

After Ukrainian security services carried out daily attacks on military bases across Russia and destroyed numerous Russian long-range aircraft, social media was flooded on June 1 with footage of drones launched from trucks, reports Radio Free Europe. These videos are now being closely analyzed in military operations centers.

"The Ukrainian attack should serve as a wake-up call for militaries around the world," said Stacie Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and directo Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), in a statement to RFE/RL.

"In many ways, the June 1 attack was more effective than those carried out by Ukrainian long-range drones, because small drones can disperse, be guided to different targets, and precisely strike multiple objectives across a large airbase," said the drone expert, adding that the key aspect of the attack was covert infiltration and action very close to airbases, which were likely poorly defended due to the assumption that Ukraine could not strike so deep inside Russia.

It is still unclear where the drones were operated from or whether they relied on artificial intelligence to guide them to Russian aircraft.

Kyiv claims around 40 aircraft were destroyed. Pro-Kremlin bloggers, however, estimate that ten planes were destroyed.

Colonel Markus Reisner, Austrian historian, military expert, and officer of the Austrian Armed Forces Head of Research and Development at the Austrian Military Academy, told RFE/RL that the attack represents "the first glimpse into the future of warfare."

Reisner believes the Ukrainian operation "will contribute to a significant reduction in the intensity of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine."

Russian analyst Natalia Shavshukova told Current Time RFE/RL that the June 1 drone attacks "strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position."

"Last time, the Kremlin demonstrated its power by showing it had no intention of stopping the bombing of Ukrainian cities, even in the face of ceasefire calls from all sides. Now Ukraine has shown its own strength and ability to carry out very sophisticated operations deep behind enemy lines, despite all challenges," Shavshukova said to RFE/RL.