Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov claimed on June 5 that Russian bombers damaged during Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb will be "restored," adding that the planes were not completely destroyed in the attack.

"The equipment in question, as was also stated by representatives of the Ministry of Defence, was not destroyed but damaged. It will be restored," Ryabkov told Russian-state media outlet TASS.

Ukraine on June 1 launched a game-changing drone attack on four key Russian military airfields, damaging 41 planes, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes. Kyiv has claimed it had disabled 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet in what is seen as one of the most daring operations during the full-scale war.

The operation, dubbed Spiderweb, took 18 months to plan and was overseen directly by President Volodymyr Zelensky and carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU said 117 drones, launched from concealed trucks positioned across Russian territory, simultaneously struck airfields in at least four regions — including sites thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters on June 4 that Ukraine struck as many as 20 Russian military aircraft during Operation Spiderweb, destroying around 10 of them — a claim that stands in contrast with the SBU's estimates.

Independent confirmation of the damage caused is so far limited to satellite images of Belaya air base, which appear to confirm the destruction of at least three Tu-95MS strategic bombers and one Tu-22M3 aircraft, with an additional Tu-95MS visibly damaged.

Another image shows two more likely destroyed Tu-22M3 bombers on the field.

Ryabkov did not specify a timeline as to how quickly the country can allegedly repair the damaged aircraft. In addition to supply-chain challenges brought upon economic sanctions, Russia would also likely face challenges due to the complexities of Soviet-era technology present in the aircraft, if it were to attempt to restore the bombers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 4 that roughly half of the planes damaged will be impossible to repair, while others will require significant time to be put back into service.

During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Putin vowed that Moscow "will have to respond" to the attack.

Russian officials have made few public acknowledgements of the attack. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 5 that Moscow will respond when and how the military deems necessary.

‘Time to put an end to insanity of war,’ Brazil’s Lula told Putin, calls for restraint following Operation Spiderweb

“I said (to Putin) it’s time to open our eyes and to put an end to the insanity of war, which destroys everything and builds nothing,” Brazilian President Lula da Silva told reporters during a visit to France.

The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat

Ukraine launched overnight drone strikes on Russian military infrastructure and Russian-occupied power facilities, including an airfield in Rostov Oblast and energy infrastructure in occupied parts of southern Ukraine, leading to damage and power outages.

Millerovo air base targeted in drone attack

In the early hours of 5 June, explosions were reported across Russia’s Rostov Oblast, adjacent to eastern Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. According to Russian news Telegram channel Astra, local residents claimed that a military airfield in Millerovo came under drone attack. Acting governor of Rostov Oblast Yuriy Slyusar later confirmed that drones were active in the Millerovo district, though he did not explicitly confirm an attack on the airfield.

He stated that debris from the downed drones allegedly caused damage in the village of Sulin, hit structures on two properties on Dachna Street. One house ostensibly had a partially destroyed roof, while another suffered broken windows and torn electric wiring. He added that “No civilians were injured according to emergency services on the ground. The military continues to repel the enemy’s attack. Information is being clarified.”

Occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts suffer blackouts

In a separate development, Russian-installed “Kherson Oblast governor” Vladimir Saldo claimed that more than 120,000 people in Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast were left without electricity and water after a strike on a main transformer substation.

The hit allegedly occurred at 23:10 and resulted in a total blackout for 192 settlements across seven “municipal districts” – a term not used in Ukraine’s territorial structure – including Henichesk, Novotroitske, and Velyka Lepetykha.

Occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast reportedly also experienced blackouts. Head of the Russian occupation administration in the region, Yevgeny Balitsky, blamed Ukrainian forces for shelling the area, stating that “no fewer than five explosions were recorded over Melitopol,” along with an attempted strike on a power substation. Power outages were reported in parts of Melitopol, Prymorsk, Enerhodar, and Akimivka.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters on June 4 that Ukraine struck as many as 20 Russian military aircraft during Operation Spiderweb, destroying around 10 of them.

The claims stands in contrast with estimates made by Ukraine's security service (SBU) which claimed more than 40 aircraft were hit in the June 1 attack.

A source in the SBU told the Kyiv Independent on June 1 that Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) drones smuggled deep inside Russian and hidden inside trucks has hit 41 Russian heavy bombers at four airfields across the country.

The attacks rendered a significant number of aircraft irreparable, with others expected to take years to restore. The strikes targeted four key airfields—Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya—used by Russian strategic aviation involved in bombing Ukrainian cities.

The SBU claimed the operation caused approximately $7 billion in damage and disabled one third of Russia's cruise missile bombers.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the claims made by Ukrainian or U.S. officials.

The SBU on June 4 released new footage from its Operation Spiderweb, showing targeted strikes on Russian strategic aircraft across multiple airfields. From the footage, it is not immediately clear as to how many aircraft were destroyed.

Kyiv did not inform U.S. President Donald Trump about the operation ahead of its execution, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 4 that Ukraine would not have carried out its drone strikes on Russian strategic bombers if Russia had agreed to a ceasefire.

Trump held an hour and 15 minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4, which Trump described as a "good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace."

"President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," Trump added, without making further comments regarding the "response" and did not say whether the U.S. had urged restraint.

Trump's Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, warned that the attack could lead to escalations in the full-scale war.

"I'm telling you the risk levels are going way up," Kellogg told Fox News on June 3. "When you attack an opponent's part of their national survival system, which is their nuclear triad, that means your risk level goes up because you don't know what the other side's going to do."

Ukraine's drone strike followed several days of Russian escalation as Moscow launched some of the heaviest aerial attacks in the full-scale war over a span of three nights. Operation Spiderweb targeted some of the very bombers that rained destruction on Ukrainian cities and civilian targets.

Putin ‘will have to respond’ to Ukraine’s attack on Russian bombers, Trump says after call with Kremlin chief

Trump said he spoke to Putin over the phone for an hour and 15 minutes on June 4 and that it was “a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.”

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported that the June 1 “Spiderweb” drone operation caused approximately $7 billion in damages and disabled 34% of cruise missile bombers in key Russian airbases.

The agency confirmed that more details about the attack will be revealed later.

“And you thought Ukraine was easy? Ukraine is exceptional. Ukraine is unique. All the steamrollers of history have rolled over it. It has withstood every kind of trial. It is tempered by the highest degree. In today’s world, its value is beyond measure,” the SBU wrote, quoting Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko.

They also vowed to continue to drive Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory.

“We will strike them (Russia) at sea, in the air, and on the ground. And if needed, we’ll get them from underground too,” the SBU said.

This operation targeted aircraft that is used in frequent long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and the plan had been in preparation for over a year and a half.

According to a Kyiv Independent SBU source, first-person-view (FPV) drones were covertly transported deep into Russian territory and hidden inside trucks before being launched against four major airfields.

The source said one of the airfields hit was the Belaya air base in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast, more than 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine.

Olenya air base in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, the Diaghilev airbase in Ryazan Oblast, Ivanovo airbase in Ivanovo Oblast were also targeted.

More than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including the A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3, according to the source.

The Tu-95 is a Soviet-era plane that made its first flight in 1952. It was originally used to carry nuclear bombs but has since evolved to launch cruise missiles.

Each aircraft can carry 16 cruise missiles – either the Kh-55/Kh-555 or the newer Kh-101 and Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles.

Russia has escalated its attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, amid ongoing U.S.-backed ceasefire talks and negotiations.

On May 26, Russian forces launched the most extensive drone attack of the full-scale war, reportedly involving 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys.

Russian military freight train blown up en route to Crimea, Ukraine’s HUR claims

“The Muscovites’ key logistical artery on the occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Crimea has been destroyed,” HUR’s statement said.

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk