Russia is facing intense backlash after Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly destroyed over £5 billion worth of strategic bombers, in what some pro-Kremlin voices have likened to a “Pearl Harbour” attack.
The coordinated assaults, said to be in planning for over a year, targeted air bases as far as the Arctic and Siberia, eliminating around 40 aircraft. Kremlin critic Vladimir Osechkin revealed that President Vladimir Putin is holding emergency meetings with the General Staff, FSB, and FSO to identify and punish those responsible.
Sky News’ Ivor Bennett reports that parts of the Russian media are debating whether a nuclear response is justified, citing Russia’s updated doctrine that permits such retaliation for attacks on its nuclear assets.
Meanwhile, pro-war bloggers expressed outrage. One blogger raged: “They fd our strategic planes up… We do not need any negotiations. Today we have been fd in the mouth… in Irkutsk.”
The Kremlin is yet to issue an official statement.