‘Pretty strong’: Trump applauds Ukraine’s ‘Op Spiderweb’ attack on Russian airbases

President Donald Trump has privately praised Ukraine’s bold drone strike operation, called “Operation Spiderweb,” describing it as both “strong” and “badass.”. This admiration comes amid Trump’s ongoing diplomatic efforts, including a recent offer to Putin aimed at de-escalating tensions.

As reported by The Sun, the operation used 117 drones and hit four important Russian airbases: Belaya Air Base (the farthest strike, located close to Mongolia), Olenya Air Base near Finland, and Ivanovo and Dyagilevo airbases near Moscow. The attack destroyed 41 Russian aircraft, which was a third of Putin’s most valuable planes, causing major harm to Russia’s air force and estimated to cost Russia $7 billion (GBP 5.2 billion).

According to Axios, Operation Spiderweb, which has been compared to the boldest World War II missions, was carefully planned over 18 months under the direction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Drones and their parts were secretly brought into Russia and put together without being detected. Plain-looking shipping containers parked near the airbases were used as hidden launch sites.

Ukraine’s latest attack on Russia was pretty cool

The drones were sent out on the morning of June 1, hitting their targets accurately. Video from the drones was sent back to Ukraine, showing the destruction and heavy damage, including huge clouds of black smoke rising from the attacked areas.

While Trump privately admired the operation’s boldness and success, telling one source the attack was “pretty strong” and another that he “thought it was badass,” he also shared worries about possible escalation. He reportedly said, “We want this war to end. We want it to calm down. So if Putin reacts violently, yeah, the president has concerns.” A senior White House official agreed, saying that Trump “wants the fighting to stop, so it upsets him whenever there is an attack like that.”

This shows Trump’s continued effort to manage his relationships with both Moscow and Kyiv, including a recent 75-minute phone call with Vladimir Putin to talk about growing tensions. During this call, Putin reportedly said he would have to respond to the Ukrainian attack.

The Kremlin’s first response was a threatening statement: “Russian Federation will respond to the attack on airfields when and in the way that the military decides is appropriate.” This warning led to retaliatory strikes on several residential areas in Ukraine, causing civilian deaths, including a baby, their mother, and grandmother, who were killed in a Shahed kamikaze drone attack.

Other deaths and injuries were reported in Chernihiv and Kharkiv. The chance of more retaliation by Putin remains a serious concern, with possibilities including the use of small nuclear weapons, hypersonic missiles, or another large-scale military attack. Despite Trump’s private praise, a Trump advisor described the situation from a global view as “a chihuahua causing real harm to a much bigger dog,” pointing out the uneven nature of the conflict and the effect of Ukraine’s strategic operation.