Kyiv/Moscow: Ukraine has reportedly carried out one of its largest and most far-reaching drone operations since the start of the war, targeting multiple high-value Russian military airbases and damaging over 40 aircraft in a covert strike codenamed “Spider Web.”
According to Ukrainian media and official statements, the operation utilized FPV (First-Person View) drones, some of which were covertly transported into Russian territory hidden beneath mobile wooden cabins mounted on trucks. Among the farthest targets hit was the Belaya air base in Russia’s Irkutsk Oblast — more than 4,000 kilometers from Ukrainian territory.
Other Russian airfields reportedly struck include: Olenya air base in Murmansk Oblast; Diaghilev airbase in Ryazan Oblast and Ivanovo airbase in Ivanovo Oblast.
Footage and photos shared by Ukrainian security sources, including videos showing bombers in flames on the tarmac, have gone viral on social media. While the authenticity of the visuals has not been independently verified, satellite imagery suggests the footage aligns with locations such as Belaya airfield.
🇺🇦 #Ukraine – 🇷🇺 #Russia: Ukraine struck four Russian airbases in a coordinated long-range drone attack, destroying over 40 aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, as well as an A-50 surveillance jet.
The drones were smuggled deep into Russia, hidden inside wooden sheds… pic.twitter.com/y7L0wVTMS6
— POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) June 1, 2025
Strategic aircraft reportedly damaged include Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, as well as an A-50 early warning aircraft—key components of Russia’s long-range aerial capabilities. BBC Ukraine further noted that some of the targeted aircraft may have had nuclear capabilities, intensifying global concern.
Images released to the media show dozens of quadcopter drones stored in a warehouse and hidden within modified truck cabins. Videos on Russian Telegram channels appear to confirm this unorthodox deployment method. Russian officials acknowledged attacks on airbases in Irkutsk and Murmansk, while also claiming to have repelled drone strikes in the Amur, Ivanovo, and Ryazan regions.
At the United Nations, the renewed escalation has triggered alarm. Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Security Council that the conflict’s intensification is undermining the slim prospects for diplomacy.
“The longer the war continues, the more difficult it becomes to find a peaceful resolution,” DiCarlo warned, expressing concern over the fading optimism that followed February’s Security Council resolution.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the mission’s success, revealing that 117 drones were used in what he described as Ukraine’s longest-range strike to date. In a post on X, Zelenskyy confirmed that the attack was entirely developed and executed by Ukrainian forces, without foreign military involvement.
Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk delivered a report regarding today’s operation. An absolutely brilliant result. A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range… pic.twitter.com/oN41NFYyfw
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 1, 2025
“It’s genuinely satisfying when something I authorised a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation,” he wrote.
In his nightly address, Zelenskyy confirmed that all Ukrainian personnel involved in the mission had been safely evacuated from Russia before the strike.
As both sides brace for possible retaliation and further escalation, international calls for de-escalation are growing louder — though, as DiCarlo noted, the window for peace is narrowing “to a sliver.”
(Last Updated 02 June 08 AM IST)
