"Polar Bear Fury from Ukrainian Drone Barrage"!

2025-06-11 13:48:00, Opinione Piro Ahmetaj

In the capacity of engagements in National Security, Regional and NATO issues, I have followed with increased responsibility the dynamics of 1260 days/nights of bloody fighting for/with Ukraine: "dozens of conferences of the Atlantic Council, the Institute of War; panels of security colleagues in the USA, Brussels, the Marshall Center, the NATO College; the last 3 Summits, Madrid-2022, Vilnius-2023, Washington 2024, as well as the one to be held in The Hague, at the end of this month"!

First , I bring to public attention that in dozens of strategic assessments (published domestically and abroad), throughout 42 months of fighting, I have optimized the belief that: "sooner or later, Putinist Russia will shamefully lose the war for the occupation of martyred Ukraine as well as the containment of Western values, interests and the military power of the Transatlantic Alliance (USA/NATO/UK/EU)"!

Fortunately, here we are. After 3 and a half years of stoic confrontation, in early June 2025, the Ukrainian army surprised the capitals, Western chancelleries and the entire globe by undertaking an unforeseen military attack in even the most optimistic scenarios (including the author): "barrages of latest generation drones have attacked in surprise and strategic depth (up to 5500 Km) 5 Air Bases deep in Russian territory". Thus, Ukraine finalized one of the most daring, sophisticated and successful operations of modern warfare: "Spiderweb operation", bringing to its knees the pride of the Russian Nation, the morale of the army, the military power and the strategic initiative of Putinist Russia.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of President Zelenskyy and was executed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), led by General Vasyl Malyuk. After about a year of highly secretive preparation, a network of Special Forces agents managed to insert drones loaded with combat explosives deep into Russian territory. The containers with "wooden cabins" were placed up to 20 km near Russian air bases, from where over 117 drones successfully hit strategic targets.

The operation resulted in the destruction of 40 nuclear bombers, including Tu-95, Tu-160, Tu-22M3 models located at 5 geo-strategic air bases: Belaya, in Siberia (5500 km from Ukraine), Olenya (Murmansk), in the Arctic, Ivanovo Severny (near Moscow), Dyagilevo (Ryazan), as well as Ukrainka (Amur) in the Russian Far East.

The destroyed aircraft make up 1/3 of Russia's bomber fleet, while the damage is estimated at around $7 billion. Beyond the cost and operational burden, this attack, called the Pearl Harbor of modern warfare, showed the weaknesses of Russia's air defenses despite Ukraine's ability to regain the strategic initiative.

Secondly , some expected reactions from Russia are: "relocating strategic aircraft to safer regions, strengthening air defenses around bases with missiles such as the S-400 and Pantsir-S1, and installing electronic counter-drone (EW) systems."

Meanwhile, in response to the military attack on Ukraine (entirely within the codes and conventions of war), the Kremlin has escalated its terrorist approach by attacking with over 1,000 drones and 100 missiles not only against military capacities, but also against the civilian population in large cities, such as Kiev and Lviv, without sparing schools, hospitals, as well as Ukraine's critical infrastructure (energy, water supply, etc.).

To discourage Western support for/with Ukraine, there is: “escalation of nuclear rhetoric from Moscow over nuclear weapons deployments in Belarus, Kaliningrad, as well as air and naval provocations in the Baltic or Black Sea, to test US/NATO reactions.”

Meanwhile, especially Berlin and Official London, as well as other NATO countries, after 2 weeks in The Hague are expected to confirm the continuation of unconditional support, with modern weapons and systems, until the victory of Ukraine and against the common evil, Putinist Russia!

Third, this operation constitutes a major event for the fate of the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as for the determining power of technology, intelligence, and clever tactics in modern wars, which now preempt the lack of traditional military power. In short, after this attack, Putinist Russia was exposed as no longer invincible.

Even after this attack, Kiev has confirmed that: "it has no intention of occupying even a single meter² of Russian territory, but remains within the right of the doctrine of sovereign defense to destroy (by any means) the nerve centers of the infrastructure for the military and logistical support of the enemy (Russia) against the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine."

On this occasion, in addition to the weight of this attack, it brings to strategic attention: "the other 3 humiliations that Russia has suffered from February 2022 to June 2025":

First humiliation (February-September 2022): Withdrawal of Russian forces from the outskirts of the capital; sinking of the "submarine Moskva", or the pride of the Russian Fleet in the Black Sea (by a country (Ukraine) with a navy, or limited naval forces); Ukraine's counteroffensive liberating 20% ??of the territories occupied by Russia, such as Kharkiv and Kherson (2 times the territory of the Republic of Macedonia), self-proclaimed by Putin "as a vital part of the sovereignty of mother Russia"!

The second humiliation (August 2023) of Putinist Russia was the rebellion of Prigozhin (June 2023) and the mercenaries around him (the Wagner Group), which exposed deep cracks in the political elite and the cohesion of the Russian nation around the war, the decay of army morale and within the chain of command of the Russian Armed Forces.

Third humiliation (August 2024): The capture of Kursk or the advance of Ukrainian forces (about 25 km) into Russian territory, marks the beginning of the upheaval that awaits Putin in Ukraine, as well as the kneeling in the face of the military power and geopolitical interests of the Transatlantic Alliance (USA/NATO/EU)!

In summary beyond disinformation, mid-2025 finds the Russian war machine “dragging bloody and exhausted, holding less than 19% of Ukrainian territory.” Likewise, the Kremlin finds itself today, even more isolated from global values ??and order. Therefore, like a terrorist organization or “wounded beast,” it threatens the West with the use of nuclear weapons!

In addition , it would be unfair not to salute Albania's efforts and active role in unconditionally supporting the decisions of the USA/NATO, as well as the more than modest contributions it has made to Ukraine over the past 42 months in this "life or death" confrontation with the common evil.

However, from the expert capacity for weighing the risks and opportunities of war, I would advise the relevant factors in Tirana that: "the loss of the war, the international discrediting and the economic collapse that awaits Russia (and consequently Serbia's weight in the Balkans) constitute a golden geopolitical circumstance (not a gift) in favor of factoring the Republic of Albania at the tables of major decision-making (USA/NATO/EU) to protect and develop national interests in the region, the Mediterranean, etc."!

Of course, it remains a critical necessity for the Republic of Albania to update the concept and modernize the structures, capacities and operational capabilities of the Armed Forces. Thus, the commitment at the NATO Summit (in The Hague at the end of this month) to increase defense spending from 2% to over 3% by 2030, aims to improve the efficiency of the National Security and Defense Agencies in fulfilling the constitutional mission: "to protect territorial integrity (Article 5); develop the geopolitical interests of the Republic of Albania in the Region and to "deserve a seat with dignity" at the NATO/EU table.

May God bless the victory in Ukraine, the military power of NATO, and the Euro-Atlantic future of the Albanian Nation, as well as the USA and all of Democratic Europe.

Author: * General ® Piro Ahmetaj,

Senior National Security Expert,

The region as well as US/NATO issues.