SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Russia downplays damage from Ukraine's airbase drone attack
Moscow, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025
Russia on Wednesday said that Ukraine's brazen drone attack on nuclear-capable bombers earlier this month was "purposefully exaggerated", downplaying the extent of the damage in Moscow's most detailed remarks on the strikes.

In a series of daring attacks deep into Russian territory, Ukraine on June 1 targeted military airbases with drones, saying it had damaged dozens of strategic bombers worth $7 billion.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow's nuclear deterrence had "not suffered significant damage as a result of these actions".

"The consequences of this attack by Kyiv is being consciously, deliberately, and purposefully exaggerated," state media reported him as saying.

The damaged equipment "can and will be restored", he added.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Moscow said that some aircraft had "caught fire", and later vowed revenge.

It has called several recent missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, "retaliation".

Ukraine said earlier that it had damaged 41 Russian aircraft -- around a third of Moscow's strategic aviation fleet.

The attacks exposed Russia's air base vulnerabilities, in a massive morale boost for Kyiv after months on the back foot in the conflict.

Ukrainian cities have been targeted by Russian air strikes on a near daily basis since Moscow launched its full-scale military offensive in February 2022, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Four astronauts home from space station after splashdown
Perseid meteor shower set to peak Aug. 12-13
From Click to Compromise: How One Download Can Infect Your Mac with a Trojan

24/7 Energy News Coverage
New transmitter could make wireless devices more energy-efficient
Solar tracking panels support high quality rice yields in Japan agrivoltaics trial
U.S. increases bounty to $50M for Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Trump, Putin agree to meet next week in Alaska
Iran will not allow Trump-backed corridor linking Azerbaijan to exclave; Russia cautious
Trump says Armenia, Azerbaijan commit to end fighting 'forever'

24/7 News Coverage
Early Earth may have had active plate tectonics far sooner than thought
Comet debris signs found in Baffin Bay sediments linked to Younger Dryas cooling
Lioness present in northeast C.Africa for first time in years; New species teem in Cambodia's threatened karst



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.