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from https://www.euronews.com/2025/06/01/operation-spiderweb-how-ukraine-destroyed-over-a-third-of-russian-military-aircraft

'Operation Spiderweb’: how Ukraine destroyed over a third of Russian
military aircraft
Over 800 FPV drones placed in the shape of Ukraine's state emblem, the
trident, are seen in central Lviv, western Ukraine, Friday, May 10, 2024. Copyright AP Photo
By Sasha Vakulina
Published on 01/06/2025 - 23:01 GMT+2
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Ukraine has destoyed over a third of all Russian missile carriers in a coordinated drone attack orchestrated from within Russian territory. How
was 'Operation Spiderweb’ planned, and how was it executed?
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported on Sunday that over a third of
all Russian missile carriers have been hit in a coordinated drone attack
aimed at different airfields in Russia located thousands of kilometres
apart.

More than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including the A-50,
Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3, causing overall damage of more than €6 billion.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "Operation Spiderweb" had achieved "an
absolutely brilliant result" which was "achieved solely by Ukraine."

The Ukrainian president also shared more details on how the operation
was carried out, explaining that 117 drones had been used, each with its
own pilot.

"The most interesting thing - and we can already say this publicly - is
that the 'office' of our operation on Russian territory was located
right next to the FSB (Federal Security Service) of Russia, in one of
their regions,” he said in a post on Telegram.

In a major blow to Russia’s security services, Zelenskyy said Ukraine
managed not only to execute the operation, but also to safely withdraw
the people involved in it. They were operating "in different Russian
regions - in three time zones."

“Our most long-range operation. Our people involved in preparing the operation were withdrawn from Russian territory in time."

Zelenskyy said it took Kyiv "one year, six months, and nine days from
the start of planning to effective execution."

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He thanked the head of Ukraine’s Security Service, General Vasyl Malyuk,
and asked him to reveal the details and results of the operation to the
public.

"Of course, not everything can be revealed at this moment, but these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books," he added.

"Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything
to make Russia feel the need to end this war. Russia started this war,
Russia must end it," Zelenskyy wrote.


Operation Spiderweb
Although Ukraine’s Security service has not revealed more details at
this stage, Ukrainian outlets are reporting exactly how the operation
was executed, referencing SBU sources.

According to these reports, first-person-view (FPV) drones were smuggled
deep inside Russia and hidden inside trucks in mobile wooden cabins.

The cabins' roofs were then opened remotely, and the drones proceeded to
launch their attack on Russian military bombers.

Russia’s Irkutsk Governor, Igor Kobzev, confirmed that the drones that attacked a military base in Siberia's Sredniy were launched from inside
a truck. In a post on Telegram, he said that the launch site had been
secured and there was no further threat to people's lives.

Russian outlets also reported that other attacks were launched in a
similar manner, with drones emerging from the backs of trucks.

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Social media footage shared widely by Russian media appears to show the
drones rising from inside containers, while panels lay discarded on the
road. One clip appeared to show men climbing onto a truck in an attempt
to intercept the drones.

In a display of the planning process of "Operation Spiderweb" Ukraine’s Security Service shared a photo on Telegram of SBU head General Vasyl
Malyuk looking at photos of Russian bombers and the airfields.

SBU head General Vasyl Malyuk looking at the photos of Russian bombers
and the airfields.
SBU head General Vasyl Malyuk looking at the photos of Russian bombers
and the airfields. Ukraine Security Service
SBU operations
"Operation Spiderweb" is not the first unconventional operation to be
carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service.

In October 2022, the SBU attacked Kerch bridge, which had been illegally
built by Russia after its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The explosion, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck
bomb, badly damaged the bridge which links Russia-occupied Crimea and
Russia.

The targeting of Russian bombers, which have been carrying out massive
missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, was previously considered almost unthinkable. Moscow had made sure to keep them well out of the range of Kyiv’s weapons, both home-made and those supplied by allies.

Olenya air base is located in Russia's Murmansk region, around 2,000 km
from the border with Ukraine. Belaya air base is in Russia's Irkutsk
region, in south-eastern Siberia and over 4,000 km east of the
frontline. These two airfields were among the hardest-hit during
Sunday's operation.

Another notable aspect of the "Operation Spiderweb" was the choice of
weapons. Kyiv used FPV drones, which are produced in Ukraine en masse
and are widely used and appreciated by the military for their
affordability.

FPV drones normally only cost a few hundred dollars, while one Russian
A50 radar detection aircraft, which was reportedly hit today among other planes, costs over €300 million.

Ukraine’s presidential advisor and former minister of strategic
industries Oleksandr Kamyshin has said Ukrainian manufacturers have the capacity to produce over 5 million FPV drones per year.

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