Trump Accuses Ukraine of Provoking Russian Strikes Caused by Operation “Spider Web”
In his latest speech, former U.S. President Donald Trump notably surprised the public by suggesting that Ukraine was the catalyst for the large-scale Russian bombings that occurred after the Ukrainian special agency launched Operation "Spider Web." The remarks by the American politician were made during his time aboard the strategic Air Force One aircraft, where Trump answered journalists’ questions about the situation surrounding the Ukraine-Russia conflict. According to him, the operation "Spider Web" carried out by Ukraine was the trigger that compelled Russia to retaliate. Trump specifically noted that these actions by Ukrainian intelligence gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a pretext for the extensive strikes on Ukrainian cities that took place in late May and early June. “Well, they gave Putin a reason to go ahead and carry out those hellish bombardments last night. That’s what I didn’t like about it. When I saw what was happening, I thought: ‘That’s it. Now there will be a strike,’” the American press quotes Trump. Thus, the former U.S. leader hints that Ukrainian actions allegedly provoked a new wave of Russian air strikes, which caused significant damage to Ukraine and resulted in numerous civilian casualties. The background of these events is quite significant. On June 1, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out a large-scale special operation called "Spider Web," which targeted strategic enemy objects on several Russian airfields. According to SBU Head Vasyl Maluk, the strikes hit 34% of the Russian strategic cruise missile carriers located at major Russian military bases. Specifically, it is officially stated that Ukrainian FPV drones managed to destroy 41 Russian strategic aircraft, including typical targets such as A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22 M3, and Tu-160 aircraft. The estimated value of the destroyed aircraft is over $7 billion — a substantial blow to Russian military aviation, which has strategic importance. Intelligence experts and military analysts assess these strikes as a significant step in the ongoing use of intelligent and partisan tactics in modern warfare. For example, Colonel Ants Kiviselg from the Estonian Center for Intelligence and Security reported that the Russian Tu-95 aircraft targeted and likely aimed to launch missile strikes on Ukraine, and that the operation named "Spider Web" was designed to deliver maximum damage to the aggressor country's strategic aircraft. Russia's response was swift. On the night of June 6, Moscow launched a massive missile attack on Ukrainian infrastructure targets, deploying over 400 drones and more than 40 cruise and ballistic missiles. This missile barrage caused widespread destruction, tragedies among civilians, and left many regions without electricity and water supply. Witnesses reported numerous fires, destroyed residential areas, and damaged transportation infrastructure. Overall, this series of events once again underscores the complexity and multifaceted nature of modern warfare, in which each element and operation holds significant strategic context. At the same time, the statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump add new confusion to the already complicated information landscape and provoke discussions about the possible causes and consequences of Ukraine’s special operation "Spider Web" and its impact on Russian actions.