Rachel Maddow

Packed with explosives, Ukraine says they destroyed planes across four different military sites in Russia, including in Siberia at a site which is almost 3,000 miles away from Ukraine. Of Russia's entire fleet of these large military bombers, Ukraine says they were able to destroy or severely damage about a third of them.

Packed with explosives, Ukraine says they destroyed planes across four different military sites in Russia, including in Siberia at a site which is almost 3,000 miles away from Ukraine. Of Russia's entire fleet of these large military bombers, Ukraine says they were able to destroy or severely damage about a third of them.

Now, was Russia aware an attack like this was going to happen or that it could happen? Clearly not. They were unaware. Did they have defenses in place to protect these planes at their air bases? That turns out to be a funny story. See anything that strikes you as odd in this screenshot?

Now, was Russia aware an attack like this was going to happen or that it could happen? Clearly not. They were unaware. Did they have defenses in place to protect these planes at their air bases? That turns out to be a funny story. See anything that strikes you as odd in this screenshot?

This is a screenshot from one of the videos of the drone attacks that was put out by Ukraine's security services. You see those round circles, little black fruit loops right there on the wings of those bomber planes? Those are tires, like tires you put on your car. Apparently, this is a thing Russia has been doing for a while now. This photo is from 2023.

This is a screenshot from one of the videos of the drone attacks that was put out by Ukraine's security services. You see those round circles, little black fruit loops right there on the wings of those bomber planes? Those are tires, like tires you put on your car. Apparently, this is a thing Russia has been doing for a while now. This photo is from 2023.

But you see they've got all the little tires stacked up on top of the plane? This was apparently Russia's idea of... defense for their strategic aircraft on the ground at their own military bases. One NATO official telling CNN, quote, We don't know if this will have any effect. Well, now we know. Turns out stacking tires on your plane doesn't prevent drones from destroying those planes.

But you see they've got all the little tires stacked up on top of the plane? This was apparently Russia's idea of... defense for their strategic aircraft on the ground at their own military bases. One NATO official telling CNN, quote, We don't know if this will have any effect. Well, now we know. Turns out stacking tires on your plane doesn't prevent drones from destroying those planes.

The whole thing is just astonishing, and not just in a foreign policy way, but also in kind of an action movie sort of way.

The whole thing is just astonishing, and not just in a foreign policy way, but also in kind of an action movie sort of way.

It also has really serious implications for Russia and beyond Russia and the Ukraine war, because those big bombers that Ukraine just torched, those are the kinds of planes that are not only equipped to carry large-scale missiles, those are the kinds of planes that are also outfitted to carry nuclear warheads.

It also has really serious implications for Russia and beyond Russia and the Ukraine war, because those big bombers that Ukraine just torched, those are the kinds of planes that are not only equipped to carry large-scale missiles, those are the kinds of planes that are also outfitted to carry nuclear warheads.

So if you're Russia or if you're the United States or if you're any country with nuclear weapons, your national security policies are based in part around the fact that you have this sort of impenetrable nuclear deterrent, right?

So if you're Russia or if you're the United States or if you're any country with nuclear weapons, your national security policies are based in part around the fact that you have this sort of impenetrable nuclear deterrent, right?

Why would anyone attack you if you could then retaliate by flying some long range bomber anywhere on earth and blowing your opponent off the map using your nuclear stockpile, right? That's a sort of linchpin idea of being a nuclear deterrent country. Well, does Russia still have that same deterrent capability?

Why would anyone attack you if you could then retaliate by flying some long range bomber anywhere on earth and blowing your opponent off the map using your nuclear stockpile, right? That's a sort of linchpin idea of being a nuclear deterrent country. Well, does Russia still have that same deterrent capability?

Ukraine just disabled a primary piece of Russia's nuclear arsenal with, you know, handheld-sized devices that look like they came from RadioShack. I mean, Russia now has to contend with the fact that their impenetrable nuclear deterrence may be not so impenetrable after all, even against a much smaller neighbor that they have been hammering militarily for years now.

Ukraine just disabled a primary piece of Russia's nuclear arsenal with, you know, handheld-sized devices that look like they came from RadioShack. I mean, Russia now has to contend with the fact that their impenetrable nuclear deterrence may be not so impenetrable after all, even against a much smaller neighbor that they have been hammering militarily for years now.

That said, it's not only Russia that has to contend with what this means. This has really important strategic consequences for every country that thinks of itself as having a nuclear deterrent along the same lines as Russia's.

That said, it's not only Russia that has to contend with what this means. This has really important strategic consequences for every country that thinks of itself as having a nuclear deterrent along the same lines as Russia's.