Ukraine's unprecedented drone attack deep inside Russian territory has drawn a measured but pointed response from China, as Beijing reiterated its opposition to escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war. The operation, dubbed "Spiderweb," reportedly damaged or destroyed 41 Russian military aircraft across multiple air bases and caused an estimated $7 billion in losses-one of Kyiv's boldest assaults since the conflict began.
The June 1 strike saw 117 individually operated drones launched at five Russian airbases, hitting strategic bombers such as the Tu-95 and Tu-22, which Moscow has used to bombard Ukrainian cities. Ukraine's SBU intelligence service confirmed it had also targeted an A-50 surveillance aircraft, a rare and critical Russian asset.
"Russia has suffered a serious loss in striking power, not just vis-à-vis Ukraine, but also towards NATO as a whole," said Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst at Dutch defense think tank TNO.
China, a key economic partner of Russia and a vocal opponent of Western sanctions on Moscow, responded cautiously but firmly. "It calls on all parties to abide by the 'three principles' for cooling down the situation, namely, no spillover of the battlefield, no escalation of the conflict and no fanning the flames," Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Newsweek.
"China will continue to maintain communication with the international community and play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis," Liu added.
The drone strike represents a tactical innovation with global implications. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack took one year, six months, and nine days to plan, involving extensive preparation inside Russian territory. Drones were reportedly concealed in truck cabins and launched remotely at the designated time.
The U.S. and European allies have withheld additional air defenses in recent months, prompting Kyiv to shift strategy. "If the world won't help Ukraine intercept Russian bombers in the sky, Ukraine must destroy them on the ground," one official said, speaking to the operation's rationale.
Meanwhile, Russian military bloggers have dubbed the assault "Russia's Pearl Harbor," underscoring its psychological and strategic significance. Moscow has yet to announce a formal response but is widely expected to retaliate.
China also reacted strongly to recent remarks by European leaders at the Shangri-La Dialogue that likened the Ukraine conflict to tensions over Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned against NATO's growing interest in the Asia-Pacific, stating, "NATO is a regional and defensive military organization with no right to breach its geographical limits or expand its authority."
"We resolutely oppose any attempt to distort or misrepresent the nature of the Taiwan question," Lin said, reiterating that Taiwan is "purely China's internal affair."
As U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be "imminent," concerns about new military flashpoints have intensified. Operation Spiderweb has also heightened anxieties among national security experts over the potential use of commercial infrastructure-such as container ships-as covert weapons platforms, especially by China.
