Salt treaty requires nuclear delivery vehicles to be countable. This makes them easy targets.
For this reason I’m pretty sure the U.S. was not officially told of this attack.
And I’m guess that due to corruption the Russian aircraft were ill defended. Be it revelments not built, lack of air / drone defenses, etc. A previous attack’s Russia airbase had these issues.
The CIA is in overall charge of the US war on Russia. Rubio has openly stated this is a US proxy war. The NYT has reported on the huge extent of CIA operations (and MI6) in Ukraine--training for similar missions, *supporting* similar missions.
Of course the US officially knew--US officials knew.
What was the point of all Trump's outrageous threats to Russia? Were they made with specific knowledge or general knowledge? It doesn't matter. He knew that ops were prepared.
In Mark's post--Friday Evening Roundup, 5/30/95--he included this info: "the Russian army has transferred 40 TU-22M strategic bombers to the Olenya airbase and, allegedly, 20% of the available Tu-95 MS".
The Tu-95 is a large 4-turboprop bomber. It reminds me of The US B-52, but the latter is a bit larger and it is powered by 4 jet engines. Here is something interesting about the big Russian bomber: "The aircraft has four engines with contra-rotating propellers. It is the only turboprop-powered strategic bomber still in operational use today. The Tu-95 is one of the loudest military aircraft, particularly because the tips of the propeller blades move faster than the speed of sound."
If drones launched on behalf of Ukraine did destroy 4 of the Tu-95s, that is a big deal. It must have been a lot of drones, or drones loaded with super-high-powered explosives, to take out 4 of the big bombers.
Alex Christoforou, in his video report today, said that a truck loaded with drones pulled into a gas station close to the Russian air base, opened up the cargo door, and the drones flew out.
I don't know if he was speaking specifically about the Olenya base, but trucks were used in all 3 on-behalf-of-Ukraine drone attacks today.
The neocon playbook is so tiresome: whenever there is even a hint of peace or compromise, they do something like this. We are dealing with truly evil people here.
It would be interesting to know what kind of internal pressures Putin is under. There must be a lot of top Russian military pushing for harsher action.
If I were in Putin's shoes I'd have Putin's knowledge of all factors--which is why I can't predict. Within the past week there was a huge leak re all Russia's nuclear weapons programs.
This Only ASSISTS Russia Negotiations despite losses it is simply more proof for the Russia need not to alter their terms
Russia will simply say to everyone involved and everyone Not involved (BRICS / Brick Road ) - you see - this is why we are making reasonable and necessary demands
Russia will continue negotiations because of the East China BRICS and the UN - Russia wants unity and desires to show the world they are reasonable.
You have to remember Putin was security in Russia Yes -
But right behind that is China and Russia was BRICS Yes
Bur Russia and China and Russia want the Brick Road
- To get the brick road they have to show the cooperating countries they they are reasonable and will not be aggressive toward them and try to rub them out in the future - this is part of the reason Russia and China want the UN they love the UN and the UN Book - because they tell these cooperating partners they will abide . this brings Unity
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): Also known as the New Silk Road, this is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government. Initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2013, it involves investments in nearly 70 countries and international organizations. The BRI aims to enhance global trade and stimulate economic growth across Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond by building networks of roadways, railways, maritime routes, power grids, and other infrastructure.
Our leadership believe that the same mantra used for domestic narrative consumption works for foreign consumption. “The Russians claimed, “without evidence,” that the attack was coordinated with NATO countries.” Dangerous and foolish.
When I first heard about the trucks-full-of-drones attacks well into Russia today, I thought right away that Z and his shreds of army could not have executed this plan.
Also, the 4 exploding bridge attacks of terrorism on trains inside Russia must have had intel and expertise supplied by one or more Western countries.
Manul, your comment caused me to remember how the 1998 movie "Enemy of the State" played out. The surveillance capabilities that were used to track Will Smith were amazing. A lot of real life capability is included in movie and book thrillers.
My guess is that Russia was intending to make its final offer to Ukraine at the Istanbul meeting tomorrow. A take it or leave it finale. If Ukraine accepts, then a peace deal is possible. If they decline, then the gloves come off and Russia commits to a full military solution. Under the latter, they would likely continue the pretense of negotiations, but it would only be for show and not taken seriously.
The attacks on the airfields are clearly an attempt at a Hail Mary pass. They were intended to provoke Russia into an extreme response and change the geopolitical and military dynamics of the war. In the former sense, it puts pressure on Putin to be more aggressive. In the latter sense, it reinforces the notion that all is not lost for Ukraine and drones can become an equalizer if used strategically.
This is a game of chess and Russia will likely take some time to plan its response. There is, however, an acceleration now to the escalation cycle. This suggests that the European WEF stooges are truly getting desperate. Their financial collapse may be coming sooner than anyone thinks.
Very astute comment. It's no surprise that this comes in the wake of Merz's pronouncements and the sudden re-emergence of people like Bolton. This is a very, very dangerous situation.
The Deep State faces and voices of past years are resurfacing.
Bolton is revolting.
Challenges in the Baltic Sea, threats thrown at China from hegemons visiting Singapore, multiple acts of terrorism in Russia, and assassinations, over the course of many months...something big will blow soon.
I also read "The confirmed death toll stands at seven, with over 90 individuals injured following a series of four coordinated rail line explosions across Russia." (https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1929135422640128434).
Per this post, the drones attacking the bombers were launched from INSIDE Russia. Hmmm. While perhaps militarily insignificant (we still don't know the damage), these sorts of attacks are designed to demoralize the population and the will to continue to fight, and to show that there's still life left in the Ukrainian resistance.
I have long maintained that we are playing with a WW3 type event when Russia is provoked by the West in the fashion that has occurred since 2014 with the CIA-led coup and the arming of Ukraine. What has been puzzling to me is the Russian response, which I have read is deliberate and slow, seeking to minimize civilian casualties and also attriting the UKR army. Three years of war have demonstrated that missile attacks here and there and some taking of UKR soil is unlikely to see a clear Russian military victory anytime soon. Will the Russians need to have soldiers in Kiev for this war to end?
So what's next? In this "fog of war", we'll have to wait to find out what really happened and what the Russian response will be. Tit-for-tat doesn't accomplish anything. If the Russian goals are as Putin stated (no NATO for UKR, removal of sanctions, recognition of the Russian occupied UKR territory as Russia), then it seems there is a long way to go and these latest attacks will only serve to stiffen the Russian resolve to NOT negotiate a settlement.
None of our political leaders seems to recognize the war for what it is and our role in provoking it and continuing it. Trump labeling Putin as "crazy" and warning Putin that he is "playing with fire" is the US diplomatic solution to ending the conflict?
What's missing from many of the discussions is the absolute misery of the Ukrainian population and the UKR and Russian soldiers. I'm sure that most want this to end but it won't, as long as the leaders have other goals.
Is it just me or is Trump starting to morph into a Bidenesque figure? He seems totally in the thrall of his inner circle and is now resorting to that classic leftist tactic: projection. It is the West that is playing with fire and they don't even know that fire is hot.
Trump owns this war now, and he will likely spend the rest of his term trying to figure out how to "win". His foreign policy is chaotic and run by amateurs. Rubio, Waltz, Kellogg, and Witkoff aren't up to the job, just as Blinken and Sullivan were not up to the job.
It's not just you. I've been saying from the beginning that Trump had to have made a major deal to have been allowed to win again. The entire tone of Trump 2.0 is very different.
A few days ago Larry Wilkerson--commenting on Trump's claim to a reporter that he hadn't heard about the assassination attempt on Trump with NATO help, while calling Putin "absolutely crazy"--stated that the scariest part would be if Trump was telling the truth, and had been kept in the dark. That would mean that the CIA was totally out of control.
And there was this during the past week:
Retired British Army officer Richard Kemp said on May 31, 2025, during the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa that the United Kingdom should help Ukraine develop its own nuclear weapons under a strategic partnership agreement. It was reported on May 31 by Espreso.
“Britain has to ensure Ukraine’s Armed Forces once again possess nuclear weapons,” Kemp stated.
Agreed, Mark. The character of Trump 2.0 is now clear for all to see: conflict with anyone who challenges US hegemony while throwing a few scraps to the MAGA fools.
O/T, but pertinent to everything else going on the geopolitical stage. The article states it would be a managed and face saving exit with Xi not seeking reelection at the 21st National Congress in October 2027. The recent military shake ups, as other commentators here have mentioned, have been done to reduce his power base in the military.
Salt treaty requires nuclear delivery vehicles to be countable. This makes them easy targets.
For this reason I’m pretty sure the U.S. was not officially told of this attack.
And I’m guess that due to corruption the Russian aircraft were ill defended. Be it revelments not built, lack of air / drone defenses, etc. A previous attack’s Russia airbase had these issues.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/06/02/zelenskys-gauntlet-did-ukraine-just-draw-the-usa-and-nato-closer-to-war-with-russia-by-targeting-russian-strategic-long-range-bombers-covered-by-salt-and-start-treaties/#more-272575
And the US due to consolidation / cost cutting is super susceptible / vulnerable to this type of attack:
https://cdrsalamander.substack.com/p/ukrainian-drones-are-tapping-us-on?
Not *officially* told?
The CIA is in overall charge of the US war on Russia. Rubio has openly stated this is a US proxy war. The NYT has reported on the huge extent of CIA operations (and MI6) in Ukraine--training for similar missions, *supporting* similar missions.
Of course the US officially knew--US officials knew.
What was the point of all Trump's outrageous threats to Russia? Were they made with specific knowledge or general knowledge? It doesn't matter. He knew that ops were prepared.
Methods shared… https://www.twz.com/news-features/russian-strategic-bombers-destroyed-in-unprecedented-wide-scale-drone-attack
In Mark's post--Friday Evening Roundup, 5/30/95--he included this info: "the Russian army has transferred 40 TU-22M strategic bombers to the Olenya airbase and, allegedly, 20% of the available Tu-95 MS".
The Tu-95 is a large 4-turboprop bomber. It reminds me of The US B-52, but the latter is a bit larger and it is powered by 4 jet engines. Here is something interesting about the big Russian bomber: "The aircraft has four engines with contra-rotating propellers. It is the only turboprop-powered strategic bomber still in operational use today. The Tu-95 is one of the loudest military aircraft, particularly because the tips of the propeller blades move faster than the speed of sound."
If drones launched on behalf of Ukraine did destroy 4 of the Tu-95s, that is a big deal. It must have been a lot of drones, or drones loaded with super-high-powered explosives, to take out 4 of the big bombers.
Alex Christoforou, in his video report today, said that a truck loaded with drones pulled into a gas station close to the Russian air base, opened up the cargo door, and the drones flew out.
I don't know if he was speaking specifically about the Olenya base, but trucks were used in all 3 on-behalf-of-Ukraine drone attacks today.
Well I'm sitting in my house on an old RAF base, surrounded by other RAF bases and watching the sky.....
https://youtu.be/rJ-FlGgejH8
The neocon playbook is so tiresome: whenever there is even a hint of peace or compromise, they do something like this. We are dealing with truly evil people here.
…and dont forget their desire to deal Trump one more defeat…
Mark: you are wise and understand the impkications. What would you do if you were in Putin's shoes?
It would be interesting to know what kind of internal pressures Putin is under. There must be a lot of top Russian military pushing for harsher action.
If I were in Putin's shoes I'd have Putin's knowledge of all factors--which is why I can't predict. Within the past week there was a huge leak re all Russia's nuclear weapons programs.
This Only ASSISTS Russia Negotiations despite losses it is simply more proof for the Russia need not to alter their terms
Russia will simply say to everyone involved and everyone Not involved (BRICS / Brick Road ) - you see - this is why we are making reasonable and necessary demands
Russia will continue negotiations because of the East China BRICS and the UN - Russia wants unity and desires to show the world they are reasonable.
You have to remember Putin was security in Russia Yes -
But right behind that is China and Russia was BRICS Yes
Bur Russia and China and Russia want the Brick Road
- To get the brick road they have to show the cooperating countries they they are reasonable and will not be aggressive toward them and try to rub them out in the future - this is part of the reason Russia and China want the UN they love the UN and the UN Book - because they tell these cooperating partners they will abide . this brings Unity
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): Also known as the New Silk Road, this is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government. Initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2013, it involves investments in nearly 70 countries and international organizations. The BRI aims to enhance global trade and stimulate economic growth across Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond by building networks of roadways, railways, maritime routes, power grids, and other infrastructure.
correction
You have to remember Putin wants security in Russia Yes -
But right behind that is China and Russia want BRICS Yes
But Russia and China and Russia want the Brick Road
Truck drivers strike spreads to >100 cities in Iran.
https://niacouncil.org/2025/05/30/
Skid marks on the yellow BRICS road
but that does not mean Russia won't respond
eg: https://x.com/squatsons/status/1929120248395125032
This is described as a "Training Unit"
Notice they did not describe it as a school, hospital or other civilian location which is the typical and usual description regardless of target
RU must have struck hard and I opine NATO officer loss accordingly
It will NOT be surprising to find NATO training officers were killed
that the training was of drone use and warfare
nor that Russia was aware of the facility for quite some time but previously reluctant due to NATO officer presence
Our leadership believe that the same mantra used for domestic narrative consumption works for foreign consumption. “The Russians claimed, “without evidence,” that the attack was coordinated with NATO countries.” Dangerous and foolish.
Highly likely that it was coordinated. Where do they get the intel needed?
When I first heard about the trucks-full-of-drones attacks well into Russia today, I thought right away that Z and his shreds of army could not have executed this plan.
Also, the 4 exploding bridge attacks of terrorism on trains inside Russia must have had intel and expertise supplied by one or more Western countries.
I read that the drone attacks had been planned for a year +. The U.S. didn’t know? Doubtful. We know about everything going on there.
Manul, your comment caused me to remember how the 1998 movie "Enemy of the State" played out. The surveillance capabilities that were used to track Will Smith were amazing. A lot of real life capability is included in movie and book thrillers.
If Trump is funding the war and providing intelligence then the US and NATO are, ipso facto, behind the attacks.
My guess is that Russia was intending to make its final offer to Ukraine at the Istanbul meeting tomorrow. A take it or leave it finale. If Ukraine accepts, then a peace deal is possible. If they decline, then the gloves come off and Russia commits to a full military solution. Under the latter, they would likely continue the pretense of negotiations, but it would only be for show and not taken seriously.
The attacks on the airfields are clearly an attempt at a Hail Mary pass. They were intended to provoke Russia into an extreme response and change the geopolitical and military dynamics of the war. In the former sense, it puts pressure on Putin to be more aggressive. In the latter sense, it reinforces the notion that all is not lost for Ukraine and drones can become an equalizer if used strategically.
This is a game of chess and Russia will likely take some time to plan its response. There is, however, an acceleration now to the escalation cycle. This suggests that the European WEF stooges are truly getting desperate. Their financial collapse may be coming sooner than anyone thinks.
Very astute comment. It's no surprise that this comes in the wake of Merz's pronouncements and the sudden re-emergence of people like Bolton. This is a very, very dangerous situation.
The Deep State faces and voices of past years are resurfacing.
Bolton is revolting.
Challenges in the Baltic Sea, threats thrown at China from hegemons visiting Singapore, multiple acts of terrorism in Russia, and assassinations, over the course of many months...something big will blow soon.
"it reinforces the notion that all is not lost for Ukraine and drones can become an equalizer if used strategically."
YES!!!
I also read "The confirmed death toll stands at seven, with over 90 individuals injured following a series of four coordinated rail line explosions across Russia." (https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1929135422640128434).
Per this post, the drones attacking the bombers were launched from INSIDE Russia. Hmmm. While perhaps militarily insignificant (we still don't know the damage), these sorts of attacks are designed to demoralize the population and the will to continue to fight, and to show that there's still life left in the Ukrainian resistance.
I have long maintained that we are playing with a WW3 type event when Russia is provoked by the West in the fashion that has occurred since 2014 with the CIA-led coup and the arming of Ukraine. What has been puzzling to me is the Russian response, which I have read is deliberate and slow, seeking to minimize civilian casualties and also attriting the UKR army. Three years of war have demonstrated that missile attacks here and there and some taking of UKR soil is unlikely to see a clear Russian military victory anytime soon. Will the Russians need to have soldiers in Kiev for this war to end?
So what's next? In this "fog of war", we'll have to wait to find out what really happened and what the Russian response will be. Tit-for-tat doesn't accomplish anything. If the Russian goals are as Putin stated (no NATO for UKR, removal of sanctions, recognition of the Russian occupied UKR territory as Russia), then it seems there is a long way to go and these latest attacks will only serve to stiffen the Russian resolve to NOT negotiate a settlement.
None of our political leaders seems to recognize the war for what it is and our role in provoking it and continuing it. Trump labeling Putin as "crazy" and warning Putin that he is "playing with fire" is the US diplomatic solution to ending the conflict?
What's missing from many of the discussions is the absolute misery of the Ukrainian population and the UKR and Russian soldiers. I'm sure that most want this to end but it won't, as long as the leaders have other goals.
Is it just me or is Trump starting to morph into a Bidenesque figure? He seems totally in the thrall of his inner circle and is now resorting to that classic leftist tactic: projection. It is the West that is playing with fire and they don't even know that fire is hot.
Trump owns this war now, and he will likely spend the rest of his term trying to figure out how to "win". His foreign policy is chaotic and run by amateurs. Rubio, Waltz, Kellogg, and Witkoff aren't up to the job, just as Blinken and Sullivan were not up to the job.
True. Although I have a feeling that this war isn't going to last to the end of his term.
It's not just you. I've been saying from the beginning that Trump had to have made a major deal to have been allowed to win again. The entire tone of Trump 2.0 is very different.
A few days ago Larry Wilkerson--commenting on Trump's claim to a reporter that he hadn't heard about the assassination attempt on Trump with NATO help, while calling Putin "absolutely crazy"--stated that the scariest part would be if Trump was telling the truth, and had been kept in the dark. That would mean that the CIA was totally out of control.
And there was this during the past week:
Retired British Army officer Richard Kemp said on May 31, 2025, during the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa that the United Kingdom should help Ukraine develop its own nuclear weapons under a strategic partnership agreement. It was reported on May 31 by Espreso.
“Britain has to ensure Ukraine’s Armed Forces once again possess nuclear weapons,” Kemp stated.
Agreed, Mark. The character of Trump 2.0 is now clear for all to see: conflict with anyone who challenges US hegemony while throwing a few scraps to the MAGA fools.
Is it Trump or is it the cabal that is pulling the strings of the latest monkey tethered to the organ grinder.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/insiders-say-xi-jinpings-exit-could-be-imminent-amid-internal-pushback-5865398
O/T, but pertinent to everything else going on the geopolitical stage. The article states it would be a managed and face saving exit with Xi not seeking reelection at the 21st National Congress in October 2027. The recent military shake ups, as other commentators here have mentioned, have been done to reduce his power base in the military.