Plumes of smoke are seen rising over the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia after a Ukrainian drone attack in the Irkutsk region, more than 2,500 miles from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s drone attack on warplanes at Russian air bases as deep into the country as Siberia has shocked US military commentators for its sheer audacity.

The Security Service of Ukraine claimed Sunday’s so-called Operation Spider’s Web had caused considerable damage to Russia, destroying around one-third of its fleet of air missile carriers, some of which can not be produced again, with damages estimated at $7 billion.

Aside from the strategic and financial gut punch to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid stagnant peace talks in Istanbul, the raid triggered headlines for how Ukraine managed to achieve so much with so little. One journalist suggested the fleet of drones deployed by Ukraine cost around $160,000.

In short, Ukrainian spies managed to sneak explosive-laden drones deep into Russian territory inside wooden sheds by truck, and then launched them by remote control. Daring isn’t the word.

For good reason, the attack was immediately compared to the legendary Trojan War, where Greeks hid inside a giant wooden horse before bursting out to lay siege to the Trojan enemy forces.

The surprise attack has also been likened to Japan’s unlikely assault on Pearl Harbour during World War II that brought the US into the conflict, with one analyst arguing they both changed the rules of warfare.

So what happened?

The attack took more than a year and a half to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose leadership has come under question amid his troubled relationship with President Donald Trump and their

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