The drone strikes on Russian air force bases weaken Moscow’s ability to wage war on its neighbor and undermine its capacity to threaten more distant rivals.

By Ukraine’s count, that would make this operation one of the most efficient, dollar for dollar, in the history of warfare. No doubt the operatives behind the strike deserve to take a bow. But once the Russian targets stop smoldering at their bases,

KYIV, Ukraine — The covert operation was described as one for the “history books” by Ukraine’s president. In the span of a few hours on Sunday, nearly a third of Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet was destroyed or damaged with cheaply made drones sneaked into Russian territory, according to Ukrainian officials.