Inside Operation Spider's Web
Hosted by Natalie Kitroeff
Featuring Marc Santora
Produced by Olivia NattCaitlin O'Keefe and Anna Foley
Edited by Devon Taylor and Chris Haxel
With Michael Benoist
Original music by Pat McCuskerRowan Niemisto and Elisheba Ittoop
Engineered by Alyssa Moxley
Operation Spider's Web was an audacious Ukrainian sneak attack that caused billions of dollars in damage to Russian warplanes — using drones that cost as little as $600.
Marc Santora, a reporter covering the war in Ukraine for The New York Times, explains why this strike on Sunday, which extended 3,000 miles into Russia, is already being seen as a signal event in the evolution of modern warfare.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Marc Santora has been reporting from Ukraine since the beginning of the war with Russia.
In its attacks on Russian airfields, Ukraine aimed for a strategic and symbolic blow.
Ukraine showed it can still flip the script on how wars are waged.
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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode's publication. You can find them at the top of the page.
The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon M. Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez, Brendan Klinkenberg, Chris Haxel, Maria Byrne, Anna Foley and Caitlin O'Keefe.
Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam, Nick Pitman and Kathleen O'Brien.
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