In a major surprise move, Ukraine carried out a bold drone attack deep inside Russia under a secret mission called ‘Operation Spider’s Web’, planned over 18 months. On June 1, Ukraine launched over 100 small FPV (first-person view) drones hidden inside wooden cabins placed on trucks.
These trucks drove close to Russian military airbases located as far as 4,000 km away, including in Siberia, and the cabin roofs were opened remotely to release the drones. The drones flew toward the nearby airbases and attacked at least five different locations across Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions.
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According to Ukraine, the strike destroyed 41 aircraft, including rare and outdated strategic bombers like the Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and A-50, causing around $7 billion in damage. Many of these planes are no longer in production, making the loss significant. The attack was carried out by Ukraine’s main security agency, the SBU, which released video footage showing the destruction.
Experts believe this operation completely changes the way modern wars are fought, as small and inexpensive drones were able to damage a large portion of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet. The drones reportedly used Russia’s own mobile networks to send back live video to operators in Ukraine. Analysts compared this operation to a “Trojan Horse” because the drones were smuggled in secretly and then launched from within. Some experts even warned that such drone attacks could happen in other countries in the future, using container ships or trucks. This strike comes just before new peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on June 2, and shows how Ukraine has advanced its drone warfare far beyond traditional methods, proving that even deep within enemy territory, high-value targets can be reached with precision and stealth.
