Retired U.S. military leaders reacted on Sunday after Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack on Russian military aircraft deep inside the country, with one quipping that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “having a very bad day.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House, the State Department and the Russian embassy for comment on Sunday.
Why It Matters
The surprise attack, which hit multiple locations deep within Russian territory, struck more than 40 military aircraft, including nuclear bombers. Kyiv’s assault came as peace talks continue but have yielded little result in recent days.
President Donald Trump has regularly voiced his frustration with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, particularly with what Trump has perceived as a potential lack of interest in actually attaining a peace deal. Trump campaigned on ending the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours but has thus far been unable to bring the conflict, which began in February 2022, to a conclusion.
What to Know
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said on Sunday that “enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia,” saying that Ukraine is conducting “a large scale special operation aimed at destroying enemy bomber aircraft,” Euro News reported.
With 41 military aircraft impacted, the Ukrainian drone attack was described by some commentators as Russia’s “Pearl Harbor.” The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 was a surprise air raid by Japan on the U.S. during World War II. Kyiv’s assault follows ground advances by Moscow troops in recent days in Ukraine’s Sumy border region.
“For months, some believed that Ukraine didn’t ‘hold any cards.’ Many of us have refuted that claim, saying an inflection point—due to failing Russian war economy and continued lack of Russian leadership adaptation, but especially due to a continued strong Ukrainian government, military and population support and will mixed with their innovative use of Special Operations, un-crewed systems (various drones), and fiber optic capabilities to counter Russian EW—would soon be felt on the battlefield,” retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, who served as commander of U.S. Army Europe, wrote in an X, formerly Twitter, post on Sunday.
He added: “The coordinated and synchronized attack today, which appears to have decimated much of the Russian air fleet that were based over 4000 km from the front line, is showing that Ukraine certainly has many aces in the hole.”
Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, who served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, took jabs at Putin, writing on X: “Vlad is having a very bad day.”
In another post, he added: “You reap what you sow, Putin.”
Speaking to CNN on Sunday afternoon, Stavridis described Ukraine’s assault as “remarkable.”
“I’m Greek American, so I’ve got to give you this. It’s kind of the Trojan horse,” he said. The Trojan horse metaphor comes from Greek mythology, in which there is a tale of a large hollow wooden horse, secretly transporting Greek soldiers, being given as a gift to the city of Troy during the Trojan War. At night, after Troy allowed the wooden horse into the city, the soldiers came out and quickly won the war.
“These wooden crates they’ve got pushed into the country and suddenly sprouting forth from it are these warriors destroying all of these planes, none of them human beings. It’s really quite a remarkable military feat,” he added.
Ukraine’s Surprise Attack on Russia
Trump administration sources told CBS News on Sunday that the White House was not aware that an attack was coming. Russia’s defense ministry confirmed a Ukrainian drone attack hit multiple airfields throughout the country, but said there were no service members or civilians killed, Moscow’s Tass news agency reported.
“The Kiev regime staged a terror attack with the use of FPV drones on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions. All terror attacks on military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions were repelled,” the ministry said.
Ukraine’s domestic security agency, the SBU, claimed responsibility, with one Ukrainian security official saying the agency loaded up drones into wooden sheds near the perimeter of the impacted air bases. The sheds had remote-controlled mechanisms to pull back the roofs and allow the drones to launch, Reuters reported.
SBU also wrote on Telegram that “34 percent of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main airfields of the Russian Federation were hit.” On X, the SBU said the attack had caused some $7 billion in damage for Russia.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Sunday: “Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk delivered a report regarding today’s operation. An absolutely brilliant result. A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation. Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time.”
Journalist Murtaza Hussain wrote on X on Sunday: “The FPV drones were reportedly launched from trucks parked inside Russian territory and deployed from the top of removable roofs. Despite losing territory to Russian advances in recent months the UA has pulled off a modern Pearl Harbor. I would brace for serious retaliation.”
Russian military blogger Roman Alekhine on Telegram: “This is the Russian ‘Pearl Harbor.’ We hope that the response will be the same as the US response to the attack on their Pearl Harbor, or even tougher.”
Former GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois on X: “Important to note: the targeting of Russian bombers is COMPLETELY LEGAL and expected in a war. A response from Russia will target civilians and be a war crime. But it’s Russia. They bombed hospitals in Ukraine and Syria. They are…. A terrorist state.”
What Happens Next?
Ukraine plans to send a delegation to Istanbul for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia on Monday, Zelensky announced Sunday. The meeting in Istanbul represents a rare opportunity for diplomacy as the battlefield remains active on multiple fronts and the humanitarian toll continues to grow.
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