June 1, 2025, will go down in the history of this war as the day when Kyiv finally debunked the myth of the inviolability of Russia’s rear. While Western capitals are still debating how not to “provoke the bear” and what words to use to invite it to the negotiating table, the Ukrainians did what they do best: they spoke to the Kremlin in the only language it understands. Operation “Spider’s Web” is not only a military success. It is a brutal lesson in diplomacy for the entire free world.
Today, Ukrainians have shown us all – from Warsaw to Berlin to Washington – how to defeat Moscow. While diplomats polish their vague phrases in draft peace agreements, Ukrainian special forces and intelligence have carried out a strike that changes the balance of power at a potential negotiating table more than a thousand peace summits ever could.
The twilight of the gods at Russian airports
The scale of the operation codenamed “Spider’s Web” (Ukrainian: “Павутина”) is staggering. According to preliminary but confirmed sources, more than 40 Russian aircraft have been destroyed. Most importantly, the aggressor’s list of losses includes strategic bombers – the pride of Russian aviation, machines capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The same aircraft that have been used for years to blackmail the world with a nuclear apocalypse and that drop death on Ukrainian cities every night have been turned into a pile of smoking scrap metal.
The attacks took place thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border, in places that Russian generals considered safe sanctuaries. How was this achieved? Ukrainian ingenuity has once again surprised the world. The drones did not fly in from Ukrainian territory, but took off from inconspicuous trucks, which, as can be assumed, penetrated deep into enemy territory or operated from its borders. It is a masterpiece of logistics and diversion that exposed the Russian air defense system, which is as leaky as a sieve.
Panic in the propaganda machine
The psychological effect of this strike is as devastating as the material losses. Panic has gripped the Kremlin and television studios in Moscow. Propagandists, usually confident and arrogant, now do not know what to say. How can they explain to the public that “great Russia,” which is supposedly fighting the entire NATO, is unable to protect its most valuable bombers on its own territory? The narrative of an “invincible army” has been shattered along with the wreckage of another Tu-95 or Tu-160.
The Russians are terrified because they have realized that they are not safe anywhere. That the war they have unleashed is no longer just a picture on TV, but a real fire that is consuming their strategic resources.
The only language of negotiation
Operation “Spider’s Web” carries a key political message. In the face of increasingly frequent speculation about the need to start peace talks or “freeze the conflict,” Kyiv is sending a signal: we will not sit at the table as supplicants.
Many in the West still delude themselves that Putin can be persuaded by rational arguments, concessions, or security guarantees. This is a mistake for which we have been paying for years. Russia is a system based on the cult of power. Weakness is treated there as an invitation to aggression, and a willingness to compromise as capitulation.
Ukrainians understand this perfectly well. They know that the only effective way to “invite” Putin to the negotiating table is to deprive him of his teeth. Destroying 40 aircraft is not an escalation—it is building a negotiating position. It is a message: “You want to talk? Here you go, but first we will deprive you of the ability to kill us from the air.” This is how you talk to a dictator. Strength and power are the arguments that break through the Kremlin’s walls.
A responsible ally
It is worth noting one more extremely important detail. The Ukrainians warned the United States about the attack. This is proof of Kyiv’s maturity as an ally. Although the operation was risky and could have provoked nervous reactions in Washington (always fearful of “escalation”), Ukraine played with its cards on the table. It showed that it is a predictable partner, but at the same time determined and independent. That it does not ask for permission to defend its own existence, but informs about the steps necessary to ensure it.
June 1, 2025, is a day of triumph for Ukraine’s will to fight and innovate. It is also a day when the world should finally understand that peace cannot be begged for in offices. Peace is forged on the battlefield, destroying the aggressor’s potential. Bravo, Ukraine! It was a lesson we all needed.
Photo: SBU
PB
