Operation Spider's Web: To attack Russian air bases, Ukrainian spies hid drones in wooden sheds
Ukrainian secret services were able to attack strategic bomber aircraft at Russian air bases on Sunday (June 1, 2025) by hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds, according to a Ukrainian security official and images posted online.
Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, acknowledged that it carried out the operation, codenamed "Spider's Web" and said it had caused considerable damage.
The sheds were loaded onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases. The roof panels of the sheds were lifted off by a remotely-activated mechanism, allowing the drones to fly out and begin their attack, the official said.
The security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said strikes were conducted on Sunday (June 1, 2025) on four air bases, and that 41 Russian warplanes were hit.
An SBU statement posted on the Telegram messaging app estimated the damage caused by the assaults at $7 billion.
"Thirty-four percent of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main airfields of the Russian Federation were hit," the SBU said on the Telegram messaging app.
'Brilliant outcome'
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, writing on Telegram, expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome".
"And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote, noting that the operation had taken more than a year and a half to prepare. "This is our longest-range operation."
Speaking shortly afterwards in his nightly video address, the President noted that 117 drones had been used to attack the Russian bases and that Russian forces suffered "very tangible losses, and justifiably so".
President Zelenskyy said the SBU had set up a nerve centre for the operation right next to a regional office of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). All operatives taking part had been brought out of Russia "on the eve of the operation", he said.
Video shows bombers ablaze
Unverified video and pictures posted on Russian social media showed Russian strategic bombers on fire at the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region of Siberia.
Igor Kobzev, the Regional Governor, said there had been a drone attack on a military unit near the village of Sredny, which is near the Belaya base, though he did not specify what the target was. He said the drones had been launched from a truck.
The Irkutsk region attack was the first time a drone assault had been mounted by Ukraine so far from the front lines, which are more than 4,300 km (2,670 miles) away.
That is beyond the range of the long-range strike drones or ballistic missiles Ukraine has in its arsenal, so required a special scheme to get the drones close enough to their targets.
Photographs shared with Reuters by the Ukrainian security official showed dozens of short-range quadrocopter drones piled up in an industrial facility. The official said these were the same devices used in the attack.
Other images shared by the official showed the wooden sheds with their metal roofing panels removed, and the drones sitting in the cavities between roof beams.
Separate video posted on Russian Telegram channels, which has not been verified by Reuters, appeared to show matching sheds on the back of a truck.
The roof panels can be seen lying on the ground next to the truck, and the video footage shows at least two drones rising out of the top of the sheds and flying off.
The Russian online media outlet that posted the video, Baza, said in a caption that it was filmed in the district near the Belaya air base.
The Irkutsk region air base hosts Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic long-range strategic bombers, a type of aircraft that has been used to launch missiles against targets in Ukraine.
The operation, according to the Ukrainian security official, was personally overseen by President Zelenskyy and Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the SBU Domestic Intelligence Agency.
If confirmed, the strikes would be the most damaging Ukrainian drone attack of the war and would be a significant setback for Moscow.
The source shared video footage shot from a drone, saying it showed one of the strikes. The images showed several large aircraft, some of which appeared to be Tu-95 strategic bombers, on fire.
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It is home to the IL-76 aircraft and also to the Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aviation Regiment. It also has the combat training/development centre for military transport aviation and uses the A-50 and A-50U AEW&C aircraft. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Not the First Long-Distance Attack Despite the great success of Ukrainian attacks, the world needs to temper expectations of the strategic outcomes. Russia has been under these sorts of attacks for some time, and Moscow's resolve to achieve its war goals has not been affected. Ukraine had been undertaking a long-range strike campaign against targets inside Russia. They have hit targets in capital Moscow. It has done this to degrade Russia's war-making capacity by attacking factories and oil refineries. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's Ryazan refinery southeast of Moscow in March and May 2024 knocked out 3.3 million metric tonnes, or 4 per cent, of Russia's total oil refining capacity. In June 2024, Ukraine had claimed a successful drone strike on a Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation aircraft at the Akhtubinsk airfield, which is 589 kilometres from the front lines in Ukraine. Russian Response to Drone Strikes Ukraine's most damaging drone strike of the war was escalatory in nature. Russia struck Ukraine with vengeance after the Ukrainian drone attack. The Ukrainian authorities say 472 drones and seven ballistic and cruise missiles were involved in a wave of attacks on Ukraine. Ukraine claimed it to be one of the largest single Russian drone attacks so far. Ukraine says it 'neutralised' 385 aerial drones/projectiles. Ukraine's land forces said 12 of its military personnel were killed and more than 60 injured in a Russian missile strike on a training centre. Ukraine accused Russia of undermining the next round of peace talks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What were counter-drone options? Such a massive drone attack so deep was not anticipated by Russia, though there had been deep drone attacks in the past. There clearly was significant local support for this operation that had been building silently for 18 months. Ukrainians speak fluent Russian and merge with the local population. Clearly it was an intelligence failure from the Russian side. If it can happen in a country that is run autocratically with a powerful Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor of the KGB, then it can happen in other lesser security-conscious countries even more easily. The drones were flying in from just outside the airbases. Very little flying time. FPV control was carried out using the mobile networks. A webcam was connected to the PC, which transmitted the image and sent back commands to control the drone. If there had been some means to know and had there been time, the mobile Internet could have been turned off. An airfield with such strategic assets should have had anti-drone boundary security. This should have included electro-optical and IR cameras, anti-drone snipers, signal jammers, and anti-drone directed energy systems. The aircraft themselves could have been secured by foldable large nets. To Summarise The Spider Web operation represents a new normal for Ukraine's asymmetric warfare strategy, combining long-term covert planning, insider logistics, and high-precision drone warfare to deliver one of the most impactful strikes of the conflict. It indeed was a 'black day' for the Russian military and security establishment, as they made 'serious intelligence errors'. The strike has been a tactical and strategic success with a high degree of symbolism. Ukraine's ability to strike strategic infrastructure deep inside Russian territory, using low-cost and high-level intelligence tactics, brings in a new dynamic to warfare. Will these attacks force dispersal of Russia's strategic assets? To create infrastructure to secure them? Will Russians now move their aircraft more frequently to different locations? Will Russia bring in anti-drone defences at all major airfields? The full import of the Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's military capabilities is too early to assess at this stage. The losses will reduce the number of cruise missile-carrying airborne platforms. These Russian supersonic/hypersonic air-launched cruise missiles (ALCM) are harder to intercept. These strikes have greatly enhanced the Ukrainian military's and civilian population's morale and 'Will' to continue to defend the country that was fast depleting since US President Trump decided to slow the military aid and support. For the peace talks, Ukraine has sent the signal that they are not negotiating from a position of weakness. The aim of the attack was to put political pressure on Russian President Putin to negotiate a war termination agreement favourable to Ukraine. If peace talks do not move forward, Russia could substantially increase aerial assaults to redeem its military honour. In 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared, 'Nuclear weapons remain the most important guarantee of Russia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and play a key role in maintaining the regional balance and stability.' Russia's nuclear arsenal would also come into play in the event of 'actions by an adversary affecting elements of critical importance, the disablement of which would disrupt response actions by nuclear forces.' In 2024 Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's nuclear doctrine to be updated to consider the complicated geopolitical realities that had emerged from the ongoing Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine, where the conflict had morphed into a proxy war between the collective West (NATO and the US) and Russia. Operation 'Spider Web' has been an assault on critical Russian military infrastructure directly related to Russia's strategic nuclear deterrence. Imagine an attack on B-2 bombers stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Many feel that this attack could not have occurred without the consent of Ukraine's European partners, in particular the UK, France and Germany, all of whom were engaged in direct consultations with President Zelenskyy in the days leading up to the execution of the operation. Even the US could have been in the know. Hope such events do not push the world into a catastrophic situation. Lessons for India – Whole of Nation Approach In the four-day 'Operation Sindoor', India had learnt lessons and the importance of drones and loitering munitions (LM) as offensive weapons and also the need for counter-drone systems and strategy. Ukraine's Operation Spider Web has revealed a stark new reality: drones costing as little as $1,000 can destroy aircraft worth $100 million or more. This wildly asymmetric cost ratio underscores urgent lessons for India in modern warfare. The impact of drones on future warfare has been re-emphasised. The composition of future militaries would require a balance between exquisite weapon platforms with large numbers of cheaper capabilities. Military stations in densely populated cities are vulnerable to ground attacks. One would recall the attack by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda which took place on May 22, 2011, at PNS Mehran, the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy's Naval Air Arm and the most populous Pakistani military installation, located near the PAF's Faisal Air Force Base of Karachi. 15 attackers killed 18 military personnel and wounded 16 in a sophisticated terrorist attack and also destroyed two American-built P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft. Similarly, there were failed attacks at IAF's Pathankot airfield and also a drone attack against Jammu airfield. The military bases, in war zones and deeper home, are now even more vulnerable. Some of the larger strategic assets, such as AEW&C, Flight Refueller Aircraft (FRA), and Cargo aircraft, cannot be parked under hardened shelters. Placed in the open, they will be vulnerable. While aircraft strikes and even cruise missiles can be intercepted, small drones in large numbers, launched from across the airfield boundary wall, would have different dynamics. Airfield security would have to be tightened. These scarce and expensive assets must be dispersed more often. Security around all airbases and military installations has to be further tightened. The Russian intelligence agencies and internal security apparatus could not track these drone-laden trucks for so long. Security is now everyone's business. India is a multicultural country with a huge population. Most military installations and airfields have civilian populations and structures close to the boundary walls. The local police, the highway and traffic police, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and military police all have to be in great coordination. General public awareness has also to go up. Anti-drone measures have evolved and need to be put in place at all to defend high-value targets. These could be used to hit not just military targets but also political centres of power. Large political rallies and religious congregations. Time to get into a huddle and do some out-of-the-box thinking and get our 'anti-drone' act right. The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
