Russia Vows to Fix Planes Damaged in Ukraine Drone Attack, Disputes ‘Destruction’ Claim

June 6, 2025 by No Comments

Russia has pledged to repair military aircraft damaged in a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack earlier this week. A Russian official stated the planes were damaged, not destroyed.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov’s remarks followed Ukraine’s claim that its forces destroyed 40 of Russia’s advanced bomber jets and surveillance aircraft in coordinated drone strikes on Sunday. These strikes reportedly penetrated deep into Russian territory.

Ryabkov reportedly told a Russian state-run media outlet, “As the defense ministry said, these aircraft were not destroyed but damaged. They will be repaired.”

However, satellite imagery indicates significant damage to the planes at Russian airfields.

Video footage also appeared to show parked aircraft erupting in flames after being hit by drones.

Two U.S. officials suggested that the U.S. believes up to 20 warplanes were hit and 10 destroyed in the operation.

Sources told media outlets that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally oversaw the strike, which had been in planning for over 18 months. The White House confirmed that the Trump administration was not informed about the attack beforehand.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Security Service claimed responsibility for a substantial underwater explosion affecting infrastructure connecting Russia to Crimea.

On the same day, Zelenskyy described a “savage strike” by Russia on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, accusing Russia of “directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery.”

President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he had spoken with President Vladimir Putin, who indicated that Russia would need to respond to the drone strikes.

“We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “It was 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.”

Digital’s Stephen Sorace, Jasmine Baehr, Alex Miller and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.