The Ukrainian truck trick: How Kyiv smuggled drones 6,000 km into Russia to strike bases housing nuclear-capable aircraft

Economic Times

5 days ago

Ukraine executed a daring drone operation, dubbed "Web," striking deep inside Russia, targeting air bases and destroying or damaging over 40 aircraft. Drones were smuggled in trucks, concealed as mobile wooden houses, showcasing Kyiv's evolving covert capabilities. Russia retaliated with a massive drone and missile barrage, escalating the conflict ahead of scheduled peace talks in Istanbul.
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The truck trick: How Kyiv smuggled drones 4,000 km into Russia
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Ukraine claims $7 billion in damage, Russia confirms aircraft hit
Russia retaliates, peace talks loom
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In what Ukrainian officials have described as the largest single strike on Russian airpower since its full-scale invasion began in 2022, Kyiv on Sunday used drones launched from inside Russia itself — smuggled in trucks and concealed under mobile wooden houses — to destroy or damage over 40 military aircraft at air bases deep inside Russian territory.The unprecedented operation, dubbed 'Web' by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), marked a major escalation in Ukraine's drone warfare strategy. A Ukrainian military official speaking anonymously to the Associated Press revealed that the attack, which took more than 18 months to plan, was personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.In his evening address, Zelenskyy confirmed the use of 117 drones and said the operation was staged from a location right next to a local FSB (Russia's intelligence agency) headquarters — a symbolic jab at Moscow's security establishment.According to the Ukrainian military official, the operation involved first smuggling first-person view (FPV) drones into Russia, where they were assembled into mobile wooden houses mounted on trucks. The drones were concealed under retractable roofs, hidden in plain sight.'At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,' the source told AP. Social media videos widely circulated by Russian media appear to corroborate the claim, showing drones rising from container-like compartments on trucks, with debris and panels scattered on surrounding roads. One video even shows men scrambling onto a truck to try and stop the drones from taking off. However, these footage remain unverified.The drones struck airfields more than 6,000 kilometers inside Russian territory, including in Irkutsk and Murmansk — both home to long-range bombers such as the Tu-95 and Tu-22M, which are nuclear-capable and have been routinely used to launch missile attacks on Ukraine. Also targeted were A-50 early warning aircraft, used to coordinate strikes and guide missiles.The stealth and audacity of the operation — using trucks to penetrate thousands of kilometers into Russian territory and hit air bases housing strategic bomber fleets — marked a dramatic evolution in Kyiv's covert capabilities.The Security Service of Ukraine claimed that the drone strike destroyed or disabled 41 aircraft, amounting to 34% of Russia's fleet of air missile carriers, with losses estimated at $7 billion. These claims could not be independently verified.Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged the attacks, confirming that aircraft were damaged and fires erupted at airfields in Irkutsk and Murmansk. Additional strikes were repelled in Amur, Ivanovo, and Ryazan regions.The attack's reach stunned even U.S. officials. A senior American defense official, speaking anonymously, said the U.S. had not been informed ahead of time, and that 'it represented a level of sophistication the U.S. had not seen before.'Hours later, Russia launched its own largest drone and missile barrage since the war began, firing 472 drones and seven missiles at Ukrainian territory, Ukraine's air force said.A missile strike on a Ukrainian training unit killed 12 soldiers and injured over 60, prompting the resignation of Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi, a key military leader in Ukraine's 2022 counteroffensive. The strike hit a location far from the front line, underscoring Ukraine's vulnerability to Russian reconnaissance and strike drones.The dramatic drone assault also came ahead of a scheduled round of peace talks in Istanbul, where Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead Kyiv's delegation. President Zelenskyy said Ukraine is 'doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people,' while insisting Moscow present its long-promised memorandum on ending the war before formal negotiations begin.As Kyiv continues to innovate and escalate with bold, long-range strikes — including targeting bases hosting nuclear-capable bombers — the war enters a new, unpredictable phase.