On June 6, 2025, the street air defense alarm in Kiev was harsh, and the people hid in the subway station to avoid danger. On the same day, the Russian army launched a retaliatory air strike on the entire Ukraine, with 407 drones and 44 missiles pouring down.
In this "mutual smashing" war, Ukraine's "spider web operation" raided the Russian bomber base 18 days ago continued to ferment - Ukraine claimed to destroy 41 Russian ace fighter jets, but the Russian side insisted that it was just "broken iron". This drone offensive and defensive battle, which is difficult to distinguish between true and false, not only allowed the world to watch Russia and Ukraine to fight each other, but also exposed the fatal weakness of future wars: no matter how strong the defense line is, it cannot stop a few iron flies flying against the ground? So can China defend against such an offensive?
The core logic of Ukraine's action code-named "spider web" is only eight words: low cost and high harassment. They planned a year and a half in advance, disguised drones in wooden boxes and cross-border transportation as civilian trucks. On the day of the attack, the Russian radar screen was just a "ordinary truck" that jumped until the explosion sounded. Although Russia intercepted some drones, the Murmansk and Irkutsk bases still suffered heavy losses - 4 Tu-95MS and 4 Tu-22M3 were completely destroyed, and the An-12 transport aircraft also became "scrap iron".
The Russian army had just used the "Iskander" missile to blow up the Ukrainian air defense system, and the Ukrainian army turned around and used a drone to drop the Russian airport. On June 6, the Kiev subway was suspended and Russian missiles fell like raindrops, while the Ukrainian army simultaneously released the battle report of "shooting down the F-16", and both sides were cheering themselves up with the "results".
This farce reflects a new trend in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict: the more rigid the front line is, the more crazy the drone harassment will be. The air defense system built by the Russian army spent a lot of money torn apart by several drones flying against the ground; the Ukrainian military civilian trucks + Taobao-grade parts can threaten the Russian army's strategic deterrence power.
When seeing that the Ukrainian army's "national laws" could hit the Russian army hard, many people were worried: If such a drone swarm rushed towards China, can it be defended? The answer is actually divided into two aspects: 99% of the world's bombers and transport planes are parked in open-air airports. FPV drones fly close to the ground, and radars are difficult to detect, and air defense missiles are too expensive.
The closed hangars equipped by China in recent years can theoretically be defended, but in the face of future upgraded versions of swarm drones, it may not be a safe win. Don’t look at Ukrainian military wooden box transport drones, China has long played the anti-drone technology: laser nets that burn through the drone shell within 10 kilometers, microwave guns that paralyze electronic equipment within 3,000 meters, and electronic warfare to directly cut off the control system.
At the 2024 Zhuhai Air Show, the "Silent Hunter" laser system exhibited in China can sweep hundreds of drones in one minute, and the cost is so low that it is negligible than missiles.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict reminds the world: the war in the 21st century may be determined by the "weapons of the poor". The Russian army's bomber costing hundreds of millions of dollars was smashed into scrap iron by a drone of thousands of dollars; the Ukrainian military commercial four-axis drone could turn Russian tanks into "iron coffins." What is even more heartbreaking is that this "asymmetrical playing style" is spreading around the world. North Korea teaches Russian troops that the experience of tunnel warfare, Iran sends missiles to the Ukrainian army, while the United States frantically stuffs drones to the Ukrainian army. In the future, whoever has more, cheaper and harder to defend, will be able to jammed the opponent's throat.
Ukraine's drone raid is like a mirror, reflecting the essence of modern warfare: using "baby price" equipment to drag down the opponent's economy, and not destroying fighter jets but can defeat the people's hearts. When the Russian army was still showing off the S-400 air defense system, the Ukrainian army had already slapped the face with a combination of trucks and drones. In the past, even air defense missiles have become "anti-aircraft guns to kill mosquitoes." Chinese military expert Zhang Xuefeng said bluntly: "Don't be superstitious about 'high-end' equipment, practice the ability to 'flies', which is more effective than building ten aircraft carriers."
The battle continues. On June 6, the Russian army claimed to shoot down 154 Ukrainian drones. In the Kiev subway station, people were using their mobile phones to photograph missile wreckage flying overhead - this "fly and air raid shelter" contest is far from over.
