Zelensky issues new threats against Russia

(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has warned that Kiev plans to carry out more long-range strikes on targets deep within Russian territory. This comes amid a sharp increase in Ukrainian drone attacks in recent weeks, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage the peace process with these actions.

On Sunday, Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel that he had met with Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, and claimed Kiev is closely monitoring Russia’s “main pain points.” He vowed to deliver further strikes aimed at significantly weakening Moscow’s military capabilities. Zelensky also noted that Ukraine is sharing intelligence with its Western partners and working with them on “joint defense solutions.”

Ukraine’s top military commander, Aleksandr Syrsky, echoed Zelensky’s statements, saying Kiev intends to expand the “scale and depth” of attacks on Russian military sites deep inside the country.

On June 1, Ukrainian intelligence launched coordinated drone strikes on Russian airbases across five regions, from Murmansk in the Arctic to Irkutsk in Siberia. Ukrainian media said the operation, dubbed ‘Spiderweb,’ used dozens of kamikaze drones, some reportedly launched from disguised commercial trucks near the targets. The operation had allegedly been in preparation for over a year and focused on damaging Russia’s strategic aviation assets.

Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed that aircraft were set on fire at airbases in Murmansk and Irkutsk but did not confirm the extent of the damage. Ukraine claimed around 40 military planes, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers, had been damaged or destroyed. However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov later rejected these claims, stating the aircraft had been damaged but not destroyed and would be repaired.

US envoy Keith Kellogg also warned that attacking parts of Russia’s nuclear triad raises the risk of escalation, as it’s unclear how Moscow might respond.

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