Ukraine has launched its most daring attack yet on Russian soil, targeting four major airbases with a swarm of over 100 drones and dealing a significant blow to Russia’s fleet of strategic bombers. The operation, dubbed “Spider Web,” unfolded on June and used first-person view (FPV) drones reportedly smuggled into Russia in hidden truck compartments before being launched near the targeted bases.
Ukrainian officials claim the strike damaged or destroyed 41 Russian military aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, as well as rare A-50 airborne early warning planes—key assets in Russia’s nuclear deterrent and cruise missile campaigns against Ukraine Satellite images reviewed after the attack show at least three Tu-95 and four Tu-22M3 bombers destroyed at Belaya Air Base in eastern Siberia, with other aircraft at Olenya, Ivanovo, and Dyagilevo airfields also hit.
Despite Ukrainian claims, U.S. officials estimate that about Russian aircraft were struck, with around destroyed—less than half the Ukrainian tally Russia’s defense ministry acknowledged damage but insists all affected warplanes will be repaired, downplaying the scale of the losses.
The attack, months in planning, highlights Russia’s vulnerability to low-cost drone warfare and marks a major escalation in Ukraine’s ability to strike deep behind enemy lines The full impact on Russia’s long-range bomber force remains under assessment, but the operation has already rattled Moscow and forced a security clampdown across affected regions.
