Kyiv: Ukrainian secret services executed a daring strike on Russian strategic bomber aircraft by concealing explosive-laden drones within the roofs of wooden sheds, according to a Ukrainian security official and corroborated by images circulating online. This covert operation marked a significant escalation in Ukraine’s campaign against Russian military assets.
Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency, the SBU, confirmed responsibility for the operation, codenamed “Spider’s Web”, which inflicted substantial damage on Russian air bases. The method involved loading the wooden sheds onto trucks and transporting them to the perimeters of targeted airfields. Once in position, a remotely triggered mechanism lifted the roof panels of the sheds, releasing the drones to launch their assault.
Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, acknowledged that it carried out the operation, codenamed 'Spider's Web' and said it had caused considerable damage, estimated at $7 billion https://t.co/BWJcwtCR51 pic.twitter.com/gYS0wN2jYr
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 2, 2025
A security official, speaking anonymously, revealed that strikes took place on Sunday across four Russian air bases, resulting in damage to 41 Russian warplanes. The SBU estimated the total damage from the attacks at approximately $7 billion in an official statement shared on the Telegram messaging platform.
“Thirty-four percent of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main airfields of the Russian Federation were hit,” the SBU noted on Telegram, underscoring the operation’s impact on Moscow’s long-range strike capabilities.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his satisfaction with the mission’s success via Telegram, calling it an “absolutely brilliant outcome.” He emphasized that the operation was carried out independently by Ukraine and had been in preparation for over eighteen months. “This is our longest-range operation,” Zelenskiy added.
In his nightly video address following the attack, Zelenskiy detailed that 117 drones were deployed during the mission, inflicting “very tangible losses, and justifiably so,” on Russian forces. He further revealed that the SBU had established a nerve center adjacent to a regional office of Russia’s FSB intelligence service, and that all operatives involved had been extracted from Russia “on the eve of the operation.”
VIDEO SHOWS BOMBERS ABLAZE
Unverified footage and photographs shared on Russian social media showed strategic bombers ablaze at the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region of Siberia. Regional governor Igor Kobzev confirmed a drone strike on a military installation near the village of Sredny, close to Belaya, though he did not specify the exact target. He stated that the drones were launched from a truck.
This attack marks a notable milestone as the first Ukrainian drone assault so far from the front lines—more than 4,300 kilometers (2,670 miles) away. The distance exceeds the range of Ukraine’s known long-range drones and ballistic missiles, necessitating an innovative approach to deliver the drones near their targets.
Photographs provided to Reuters by the Ukrainian security official depicted dozens of short-range quadcopter drones stored in an industrial warehouse. The official confirmed these were the same drones used in the attacks.
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Additional images revealed the wooden sheds with their metal roofing panels removed, exposing drones nestled between roof beams—concealed and ready for deployment. Separate video footage posted on Russian Telegram channels appeared to show identical sheds mounted on a truck. The video captured roof panels discarded on the ground and showed at least two drones ascending from the sheds.
The Russian online outlet Baza, which posted the video, identified the location as the district surrounding the Belaya air base.
The Belaya air base houses Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic long-range strategic bombers, known for their role in launching missile strikes against targets inside Ukraine.
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According to the Ukrainian security official, the entire operation was personally overseen by President Zelenskiy and Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the SBU.
If verified, this drone strike represents the most damaging Ukrainian attack against Russian air power to date, marking a severe blow to Moscow’s strategic capabilities.
The official source also shared drone footage capturing one of the strikes, showing multiple large aircraft, including what appeared to be Tu-95 strategic bombers, engulfed in flames.
