by WorldTribune Staff, June 4, 2025 Real World News

On June 1, more than 100 Ukrainian drones struck air bases deep inside Russia, reportedly destroying 40 Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers.

Many analysts questioned how Ukraine could carry out such a large-scale and sophisticated attack without at least some assistance from U.S. intelligence. The drone operation, dubbed “Spider Web”, resulted in explosions reported across several time zones all over Russia — as far north as Murmansk above the Arctic Circle, and as far east as Irkutsk, over 4,000km from Ukraine.

Mike Pompeo speaks at the 2025 Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa, Ukraine on May 31. / Video Image

“Conversations in high-level national security circles speculated on whether U.S. intelligence may have directly or indirectly aided Ukraine in moving more than 100 of its drones covertly hundreds or even thousands of miles through Russia to the outskirts of military targets,” Ben Wolfgang wrote for The Washington Times on Monday.

Another question being raised is what was Mike Pompeo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state in President Donald Trump’s first term, doing in Ukraine one day before the drone swarm attacked Russia?

Speaking at the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa on May 31, Pompeo said if the U.S. recognized Crimea as Russian territory it “would be a mistake of epic proportions.”

“I get the frustration … I’m not naive about what’s physically possible in this moment, but that doesn’t mean one should go and say, ‘and we are giving up for all time,’ ” Pompeo said. “This is one of the things I hope to communicate.”

Pompeo, who some even pushed as an alternative presidential candidate to Trump in 2024, has long been relegated from Trump’s inner circle. He told The Hill he is articulating to Republican allies on Capitol Hill why maintaining the Crimea Declaration is important and “the right thing to do.”

In 2018, Pompeo issued the Crimea Declaration “reaffirming U.S. policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law.”

Human Events Editor Jack Posobiec, in a post to social media, hinted that Pompeo may have shown up to interfere in peace talks:

“Are elements of the U.S. intelligence community working to undermine our President’s peace agenda? How many Brennan operatives are still within positions of power in the CIA?”

Writing for The Washington Times, Wolfgang noted: “The White House reportedly was not notified about the operation. Sources familiar with Ukrainian military operations told The Washington Times on Monday that Ukraine plausibly could have conducted the operation on its own and may have intentionally kept Washington in the dark as much as possible.

“Those sources noted that the U.S. has often seemed reluctant to back any Ukrainian operations that could target Russian nuclear assets. Had Washington known, it might have objected to the operation on those grounds out of concern that Moscow could escalate.”

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday while in Lithuania, where he met with the leaders of several NATO nations: “Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy,”

Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social:

I just finished speaking, by telephone, with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia. The call lasted approximately one hour and 15 minutes. We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. 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. We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran’s decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly! I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement. President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion. It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!

Ukrainian officials said the destroyed aircraft represents about 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers. Ukrainian officials estimated the cost of the damage to the Russian military to be $7 billion.

Related: Ukraine’s drone strike on Russian nuclear forces unleashes chilling new threats, June 4, 2025

Planning for the drone operation took 18 months, Zelenskyy said. The operation involved 117 Ukrainian drones hitting military bases across Russia.

Ukrainian forces smuggled the drones into Russian territory in the backs of trucks and then parked them near each of the Russian bases. Positioning the aircraft so close to the Russian military sites allowed the operation to unfold with speed and precision.

Wolfgang noted: “The Ukrainian operation also provides one of the clearest demonstrations to date of how drone swarms have transformed 21st-century combat. The mission proved on a large scale that drone swarms are effective beyond the tactical, battlefield level and can be employed for major strategic operations across a wide swath of enemy territory.”

Revive the American Free Press!

  Pompeo in Ukraine on eve of strategic strike raises questions: Did U.S. intel assist? Did Trump know?, WorldTribune.com

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