Key Points – Ukraine’s “Operation Spiderweb,” a meticulously planned (18 months) SBU drone assault on June 1st, struck multiple Russian airbases deep within Russia, reportedly damaging or destroying over 40 strategic aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers as well as A-50 surveillance planes.
-The audacious attack involved smuggling FPV drones into Russia and launching them from concealed truck-borne containers.
-This operation, occurring amidst stalled peace talks where Russia made maximalist demands, demonstrates Ukraine’s continued capability to inflict significant damage on valuable Russian military assets far from the frontlines, signaling its resilience and the evolving, drone-centric nature of modern warfare.
Ukraine’s Drone Attack Changes Everything?
Earlier this week, Ukraine launched an attack on Russian positions that has been dubbed Operation Spider Web.
According to The Guardian, the operation struck four airbases in different parts of Russia, destroying billions of dollars worth of Russian aircraft. The attack was planned and prepared for over 18 months.
“Ukraine’s agents moved short-range drones and explosives inside Russia before they were launched remotely for a coordinated strike on Sunday that was intended to strike at Moscow’s air superiority,” The Guardian said.
Drones were smuggled into Russia and placed in containers, and the newspaper published pictures of the containers.
“With the trucks positioned near Russian bases, the roof panels of the containers were lifted off by a remotely activated mechanism, allowing the drones to fly out and begin their attack. The drones had first-person view, or FPV, technology that allowed them to be operated remotely, probably from Ukrainian territory.”
More than 40 planes were damaged in the attack, including A-50 surveillance planes, Tu-22 bombers, and Tu-95s, the newspaper said.
In a separate attack, Ukraine also carried out an underwater bomb assault this week on a key bridge in Crimea.
“Our people operated across several Russian regions – in three different time zones. And the people who assisted us were withdrawn from Russian territory before the operation; they are now safe,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, per The Guardian.
What Does This Mean For the War?
A Washington Post editorial published Tuesday looked at what the attacks mean for the wider war. The editorial focused on what message Ukraine was sending with the attack.
“The Ukrainian strikes were audacious in their expansiveness, stretching from the Arctic Circle in the northwest to Siberia in Russia’s far east. Ukraine has previously struck targets deep inside Russia, but never on this scale and with this complexity, demonstrating an ability to penetrate close to what should be among Russia’s most protected military assets,” the unsigned Post editorial said.
The attack also came at a time when it appeared that Russia had an upper hand in the war. The two sides, after all, held peace talks in Istanbul earlier this week, in which Russia made maximalist demands of Ukraine, including Ukraine giving up land, reducing its military, and committing to long-term neutrality. This also comes as President Donald Trump, while occasionally criticizing Putin, is becoming disengaged from the process of pushing the sides for peace.
“With the drone attack against Russia’s aviation fleet, Ukraine is showing Trump that it can use its wits and scrappiness to keep fighting; its cause is not lost,” the Post said. “Kyiv also signaled to Trump and Ukraine’s European allies that, though Ukraine might be outmanned and outgunned, it still has the capacity to inflict considerable damage on Russia’s military and cannot be ignored in any negotiations.”
Changing Tactics
NBC News, meanwhile, looked at what the drone attack and other recent developments say about the tactics the two sides are using in the war.
“Experts told NBC News that both sides are increasingly turning to cheap, commercially available first-person view or quadcopter drones that can often be purchased from online retailers and easily converted into deadly weapons — simple technology that is having a huge impact on the battlefield in Ukraine and farther afield,” NBC said.
It shows how drones are becoming a more important part of warfare overall, including their use in the successful overthrow last year of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“They’re here … because they’re ubiquitous, because they are quite useful, and they’re demonstrating that every day in Ukraine,” Robert Lee, of the Foreign Policy Research Institute think tank, told NBC.
“There’s no doubt that they’re going to be used by all sorts of groups, whether it’s criminal groups or terrorist groups, and they pose a quite significant threat.”
About the Author:
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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