Ukraine Says It Destroyed Dozens of Warplanes Deep Inside Russia
Clandestine drone attack, 18 months in planning, deals blow to Moscow’s ability to strike from the air
Key Points
- Ukraine damaged over 40 Russian warplanes in a drone attack on four military airports in Russia’s far east.
- The attack, dubbed “Spider’s Web,” took a year and a half to prepare, officials at Ukraine’s intelligence agency said.
- The bombardment is a significant victory for Ukraine’s deep-strike program, which uses drones to target crucial material on Russia’s soil.
KYIV—Ukrainian officials said its drones damaged more than 40 warplanes in attacks on four military airports inside Russia, a daring clandestine strike against Moscow’s airborne capabilities.
The attack, dubbed “Spider’s Web,” took a year and a half to prepare, officials at Ukraine’s main security and intelligence agency, the SBU, said on Sunday. Ukraine’s drones targeted Russia’s Belaya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo and Olenya air bases, all of which house Russian military planes.
The bombardment is a significant victory for Ukraine’s deep-strike program, which uses drones to target crucial materiel on Russia’s soil. Ukraine’s intelligence agency has used sea drones and long-range bombing drones to strike inside Russia.
Video taken by drones showed smoke emanating from planes at Belaya airfield near Russia’s border with Mongolia, according to footage shared by Ukrainian intelligence officials.
“This is how nice the Belaya airfield looks now,” Vasyl Maliuk, head of Ukraine’s intelligence agency, said in the video.
Ukrainian intelligence officials said the agency moved dozens of small quadcopter drones to Russian territory. It then moved wooden containers to Russia, which were used to hide the drones ahead of the attack. When it came time to strike, the containers were placed on trucks and the lids of the containers were opened remotely. The swarm of drones flew out to find their targets.
In one video posted to social media, a drone appeared to take off out of a container with a buzzing sound. Shots rang out in an apparent attempt to down it. Another drone few out of the container in the same direction.
The scope of the damage would take time to assess but it appeared to be a significant blow to Russia’s long-range aviation capacity, said Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
“Ukrainian special services have struck by far the heaviest blow of the war against the Russian Long Range Aviation bomber fleet,” Bronk said.
Losing dozens of long-range aircraft vital to Russia’s nuclear forces and its attacks on Ukraine would gravely damage Russian military strength. Russia no longer produces the Tu-95MS or Tu-22M3 planes that were among those damaged, according to Ukrainian intelligence officials.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to meet on Monday in Istanbul for negotiations aimed at ending the war. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainians are demanding a full cease-fire, the release of prisoners and the return of the children Russia abducted. Russia hasn’t sent its proposals ahead of the talks, Ukrainian officials said.