'Risk level goes up' — Ukraine's strike on Russian bombers could escalate war, US envoy Kellogg says
Ukraine's drone assault on Russia's strategic bomber fleet, known as Operation Spiderweb, could escalate the war and provoke unpredictable responses from Moscow, U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said in an interview with Fox News on June 3.
The operation, launched by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), reportedly targeted four airfields deep inside Russian territory, striking 41 aircraft and inflicting what Kyiv claims is $7 billion in damage.
The targeted air bases reportedly housed Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, essential carriers of long-range cruise missiles used in Moscow's air strikes on Ukrainian cities.
"I'm telling you the risk levels are going way up," Kellogg said. "When you attack an opponent's part of their national survival system, which is their nuclear triad, that means your risk level goes up because you don't know what the other side's going to do."
According to the SBU, 117 drones were launched from mobile platforms across Russia, enabling simultaneous strikes on targets located thousands of kilometers from Ukraine's borders.
Kellogg also pointed to reports of explosions at the Severomorsk naval base, home to some of Russia's most advanced submarines. Kyiv has not confirmed targeting Russia's Northern Fleet.
"The one that really concerned me was the fact that there have been reports that they attacked the naval, the Northern Fleet headquarters in Severomorsk," Kellogg said. "And if that's the case — when you attack two legs of a triad — it's very clear the risk levels will go up."
Russian officials have denied that the base was hit, and no independent confirmation has emerged.
According to Kellogg, the attacks showed that Kyiv "is not lying down on that."
"Ukraine is basically, 'We can play this game, too.' And they can raise the risk level to levels that are basically, to me, they've got to be unacceptable," he added.
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Despite the scale and strategic implications of the Ukrainian operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not publicly addressed the strike. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as a would-be peacemaker, has also remained silent.
Pressed by reporters on June 3, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump was not informed in advance about the operation.
"I would like to let the president speak on that himself," Leavitt said. She later added, "The president does not want to see this war prolonged. He wants this war to stop."
Ukrainian officials say the operation took 18 months to plan. While Kyiv says the strike dealt a serious blow to Russia's strategic air capabilities, the full extent of the damage remains unverified.
Operation Spiderweb marks one of the most sophisticated and far-reaching Ukrainian operations since the start of the full-scale war in 2022 — and a stark signal of Ukraine's growing capacity to strike deep inside Russian territory.
Read also: Inside Russia, calls for peace come with conditions — and Kremlin talking points
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