Updated 20:14
In a significant escalation of its drone warfare campaign, Ukraine has reportedly executed its most extensive drone attack to date, targeting multiple Russian airbases and damaging a substantial number of strategic aircraft.
According to Ukrainian security officials, the operation, orchestrated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), involved a coordinated strike on four Russian airbases, resulting in damage to approximately 40 military aircraft. Among the affected were Beriev A-50 (NATO reporting name: Mainstay) a Soviet-origin airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers, which Russia has utilized for long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian authorities reported that the country came under heavy aerial assault overnight, with a total of 472 drones and seven ballistic and cruise missiles launched in what is being described as one of the most extensive Russian drone attacks to date.
This large-scale assault underscores the intensifying aerial campaign as Russia ramps up its use of drone warfare in the ongoing conflict. Ukrainian officials have condemned the attack as a continued violation of international norms, vowing to bolster defensive measures in response.
The assault extended to Russia’s Olenya in Murmansk and Belaya airbase in Irkutsk, both situated deep within Russian territory, nearly 2,900 miles from Ukraine. Unverified footage circulating online depicts large aircraft engulfed in flames, with plumes of smoke rising from the sites. Local residents reported hearing explosions, and some areas were evacuated as a precaution.
According to sources at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), “Operation Spider’s Web” took one year-and-a-half to organise and was personally overseen by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Sources say the SBU’s first FPV drones into Russia, followed later by mobile wooden cabins.
Once on Russian territory, the drones were hidden under the roofs of these cabins, which had been placed on to trucks. At the time of the attack, the roofs were remotely opened, allowing the drones to take off and hit the nearby airbases.
The timing of the attack is notable, coinciding with Russia’s proposal for renewed peace talks in Istanbul. While Moscow has expressed readiness for dialogue, Ukraine has yet to confirm its participation.
This development underscores the evolving dynamics of the conflict, with Ukraine demonstrating an increased capacity to conduct long-range strikes, potentially altering the strategic landscape of the war.
