Drone Strike Credit: npr.org
Introduction
The Ukrainian armed conflict and its violation of fundamental international law is causing a human tragedy the like of which Europe has not witnessed since World War Two. The ever-growing threats and intensity of war raise the question as to how this aggression can be stopped. Economic sanctions against Russia so far have failed, questioning Europe’s future as a place to live in peace. It is anybody’s guess what the outcome will be.
Drone Technology
In the Ukrainian war, drones are increasingly used to attack and destroy enemy positions. The aim is to master a new type of warfare in which so-called combat drones are supplementing or replacing conventional weapons consisting of fighter planes, tanks or artillery. As a result, the mass production of combat drones and the provision of the necessary funding is being accelerated. The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the ability of combat drones to destroy predetermined targets are constantly being improved. AI technology consists of a combination of hardware and software and enables combat drones equipped with sensors to detect and track objects through satellite surveillance and to decide independently on the optimal combat mission thanks to the data acquired on an ongoing basis. Based on the experience in the Ukraine, the view prevails that the level of AI technology is decisive for the successful deployment of a combat drone. This in turn implies that the secret services of the countries engaged are trying to obtain information about the combat drones used by the enemy by means of espionage. This development is also important for the Swiss secret service organization. Because of the availability of drones developed by their own engineering force, existing Swiss alpine fortresses can be modernized and used against potential Russian drone attacks.
The Need for Secret Services
In a military conflict, the number and type of weapons used by the enemy, such as tanks, fighter planes or cannons, are quite well known. The satellite surveillance available today has further improved our knowledge of the enemy’s combat capabilities. With the availability of combat drones and the experience gained, secret services have taken on a completely new task. Combat drones are a combination of hardware and software, and the corresponding knowledge is top secret in that the ability of combat drones to attack enemy targets and to provide the necessary defensive measures are crucial to the success of a combat mission. For this reason, secret services are involved in a completely new type of warfare, which is massively supported financially by the government authorities of the parties involved. This applies above all to a special unit of the Russian secret service under direct control of Putin, the American secret service CIA and the Ukrainian secret service. To support and secure its own defense in the event of war, the Swiss secret service is also involved in procuring and exchanging information about the actions of the parties involved. Ultimately, it is a question of supremacy in a new type of warfare that is increasingly calling traditional methods into question, with the consequence that the competitiveness of Switzerland’s own drone development must be massively promoted at all costs as well. To achieve this goal, espionage, surveillance and the silencing or assassination of disagreeable opponents are common methods, with little regard for civilian casualties. This ‘all or nothing’ scenario has also been reflected in the hardening of political and diplomatic relations between former allies. Above all, the EU is under pressure to massively increase its arms spending. If there is no sustainable peace agreement between the parties involved, the winners of this dispute are the companies engaged in producing weapons.
Operation Spider’s Web
Operation Spider’s Web was a covert drone attack carried out by the Secret Service of the Ukraine deep inside Russia on 1 June 2025. Coordinated strikes targeted Russian Air Forces’ long-range assets at five air bases, using drones concealed in and launched from trucks on Russian territory. It was the largest drone attack on Russian air bases up to that point in the war, employing 117 drones, according to Ukrainian officials. The operation was notable for its unprecedented geographical reach, particularly the strike on Belaya Air Base in Eastern Siberia, where damage was confirmed 4,300 km from Ukraine. Ukrainian president Zelenskyy said that it took 18 months from the start of planning to execution of the operation. American and Ukrainian sources say that the United States was not informed in advance about the attacks. The quadcopter drones carried a payload of explosives of just over 3.2 kg. While in transport to Russia, approximately 36 were transferred to removable roofs of wooden containers built to resemble regular mobile wooden cabins, which are routinely transported on flatbed trucks. The roofs of these containers were opened remotely, and the drones were flown by their operators to their targets. Because of the long distance to Kiew, the Russian military was convinced that their airbases were safe from Ukrainian attacks, and no serious protection was implemented to fight such attacks. Media companies called the destruction as Russia’s ‘Pearl Harbour’, when Japan and its Kamikaze pilots destroyed large parts of the US war fleet and as a result caused the US to enter World War Two. Zelenskyy said that each drone had its own pilot to launch and command it remotely. One war analyst explained that the drones were operated without the need for satellite navigation, making them impervious to jamming of navigation signals. As many as 117 Ukrainian drones targeted five Russian airbases. The secret service claims to have hit more than 40 Russian military aircraft, including Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M strategic bombers as well as A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. One drone’s footage showed it landing on a Tu-95 bomber’s wing close to the fuel tanks, that of others soon followed. The drones attacked with very high precision; each pilot, working from Ukraine, aimed at vulnerable points such as fuel tanks in the wings. Images appear to show that some attacked aircraft were loaded with cruise missiles. The large fireballs also imply that the fuel tanks were full, suggesting that the aircraft were prepared to conduct strikes against the Ukraine.
Trump’s Empty Promise
Donald Trump often promised to get a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine in one day, but more than four months since his second-term inauguration that goal looks as far away as ever. Russia proposed another attempt at peace negotiations with the Ukraine early June in Istanbul, but both sides remain firmly entrenched in their positions on territorial disputes and sovereignty that have thus far made substantial progress unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump, who has been eager to bring Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the table, has been showing signs of frustration over the process, suggesting that he is prepared to “just back away” and allow the fighting to continue if the two leaders cannot make progress soon. Seth Jones, president of the defence and security department of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), describes the U.S. role so far in the negotiations as “relatively weak” and cautions that if the administration were to walk away from the talks “it would fundamentally shift the balance of power in the war to the Russian side.” He adds that European nations could not easily or quickly replace the intelligence that the U.S. has provided. According to a U.S. assessment released in April, an estimated 790’000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, while Zelenskyy has said more than a total of 400’000 Ukrainian forces been killed or injured since the start of the fighting. Even so, “the Russian preference is for this to end on the battlefield with a Russian victory, rather than have to go to any kind of serious peace talks where they may actually have to give up some of their objectives,” Jones says.
Conclusion
The widely publicised June 1, 2025, drone attack against Russian airfields provides just a small glimpse of war activities. In response to this attack, Russia has intensified its efforts, employing massive amounts of drones and rockets to destroy buildings and infrastructures located in the Ukraine, while their secret service is targeting Russian oil refineries and bridges. Despite the staggering cost, there is no indication that this war will end anytime soon.