US senator compares Ukrainian Spiderweb drone operation to anti-terror bin Laden killing
US Senator Richard Blumenthal compared Ukraine’s recent long-range drone attacks against Russian air bases to the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, Politico reports.
The Democratic senator from Connecticut Richard Blumenthal called the Spiderweb operation one of the great military achievements in recent years, according to Politico.
Blumenthal believes it refutes the “false narrative that Ukraine is losing the war.” He suggested the recent battlefield developments could influence Washington’s approach to Ukraine aid and potentially sway President Donald Trump, who the senator noted remains skeptical of increased support.
“They can strike air bases 4,000 miles from Ukraine; They can hit anywhere,” Blumenthal said. “Just in the skill and audacity of these attacks, it will rank with the United States raid on Osama bin Laden and the Israeli pager operation as one of the great military achievements in recent years.”

The White House has not commented on the Ukrainian strikes, though spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt previously emphasized that Trump was not informed about the operation in advance.
On 4 June, Blumenthal organized a closed-door briefing for senators alongside Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to discuss their sweeping sanctions bill targeting Russia and major energy customers including China and India. The Ukrainian delegation included Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Deputy Defense Minister Serhii Boyev.
The bipartisan legislation, which now has 82 co-sponsors evenly divided between parties, proposes 500% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and other products. Blumenthal described the sanctions package as potentially a “game changer” designed to increase pressure on Russia’s wartime economy.
The senator indicated Congress could move forward with the sanctions bill regardless of White House support, stating that events on the battlefield might shift momentum among lawmakers previously hesitant to increase aid to Ukraine.