Ukraine wipes out dozens of Russian nuclear bombers in massive surprise attack on air bases, Kyiv says
Ukrainian forces have wiped out dozens of Russian military aircraft, including nuclear bombers, in a massive drone attack on President Vladimir Putin's air bases deep inside the country, Kyiv sources are claiming.
The mission carried out by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) using first-person-view (FPV) drones hit 41 Russian heavy bombers at four separate airfields thousands of miles from Ukraine, a security source told the Kyiv Independent on Sunday.
The drones were reportedly smuggled into the country hidden in trucks.
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4 A picture of SBU Chief Vasyl Malyuk planning operation 'Web,' date and location not disclosed.
Ukraine's Security Service
4 A screenshot from a drone video of the alleged attack released by the SBU on June 1, 2025.
Ukraine's Security Service
TU-95 'Bear' nuclear bombers, TU-22 'Backfire' fast-attack strike bombers and A-50 'Mainstay' command-and-control jets were among the aircraft that were destroyed in the strike, according to reports.
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One of the bases hit was in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, almost 2,500 miles from Ukraine.
Others targeted were in Murmansk in the Arctic Circle, Ryazan southeast of Moscow, and Ivanovo, to the northeast of the Russian capital.
4 Another shot of the drone video.
Ukraine's Security Service
4 Russian TU-22 fighter jets
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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The operation, codenamed 'Web,' took some 18 months of planning and, if the details are confirmed, will deal a huge blow to Moscow's efforts to launch long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
'The SBU first transported FPV drones to Russia, and later on the territory of the Russian Federation, the drones were hidden under the roofs of mobile wooden cabins, already placed on trucks,' the source claimed.
'At the right moment, the roofs of the cabins were opened remotely, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers.'
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