Overview

• Ukraine’s intelligence service said planners spent 18 months preparing the deep-strike operation against Russian airbases
• The attack damaged or destroyed more than 40 grounded warplanes, which Kyiv claims accounts for 30 to 40 percent of Russia’s strategic bombing force
• Fox News analyst Brit Hume called the operation a major setback that revealed embarrassing failures in Russia’s intelligence and air defenses
• The success of the raid undercuts former President Trump’s February assertion that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lacks leverage over Vladimir Putin
• Experts warn that Ukraine’s success with long-range drones could presage further unexpected operations against Russian targets