In a Telegram post on June 23, Mr. Zelensky said that he had a meeting with the head of the Military Intelligence Service of Ukraine - Mr. Kyrylo Budanov - to discuss key weaknesses in Russia's military system. He pledged that Kiev would "impose appropriate strikes" on these areas to weaken Moscow's offensive capabilities.
The above-mentioned tough statement was agreed by the Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces - Mr. Oleksandr Syrskyi - when he announced that Kiev would "increase the scale and depth" of airstrikes on military targets deep in Russian territory.
Both Ukraine's top military and political leaders have hinted that the new offensive will not stop at the border but will also target the " strategic heart" of the Russian defense system.
The statement came shortly after Ukraine launched a joint operation called the Spiderweb on June 1, simultaneously attacking several Russian air bases in five different territories, from Murmansk in the Arctic to Irkutsk in Siberia.
According to Ukrainian media, the operation uses dozens of first-angible suicide drones (FPVs), some of which were launched from commercial trucks that secretly entered Russian territory. The main targets are believed to be Russian strategic air forces units, including the Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers.
Kiev claimed to have destroyed or damaged about 40 military aircraft. However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov dismissed the figures, saying the equipment was damaged, but not destroyed and will be restored.
Russia called the UAV attacks an attempt to "sabotage the peace negotiations process", while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukraine was deliberately causing tension to attract more aid from the West.
However, more worrying is the warning from Mr. Keith Kellogg - special agent of US President Donald Trump - that an attack on Russia's nuclear triad, such as strategic bombers, could put the conflict out of control. You dont know how the opponent will react when the core of their national ecosystem is attacked, he said.
