What We Know About Ukraine's Mass Drone Assault On Russian Bombers

Yahoo

2 days ago

A day after Ukraine's audacious attack using drones launched from trucks to strike nearby Russian bombers, the scope of the damage and how the mission was pulled off is just starting to come into focus. While there are still questions as to just how many bombers were destroyed, the attack was a major blow to Russian strategic aviation, regardless, a subject you can read more about in a separate story we posted earlier today. You can also catch up with our initial report on the attack here.
Ukraine claims it struck 41 Russian aircraft in its attack on Sunday, according to Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which carried out the attack known as Spiderweb. All told, 117 first-person view (FPV) drones struck the Belaya, Dyagilevo, Ivanovo and Olenya air bases, the SBU says.
On June 1, the Security Service of Ukraine carried out a brilliant operation— on enemy territory, targeting only military objectives, specifically the equipment used to strike Ukraine. Russia suffered significant losses.In total, 117 drones were used in the operation – with a… pic.twitter.com/PeD1lTx9Nw
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 2, 2025
'The Security Service of Ukraine conducted an unprecedented and unique special operation to simultaneously destroy four military airfields in the rear of the Russian Federation, where enemy aircraft are deployed,' the SBU stated on Telegram on Monday. 'As a result of drone strikes, 41 aircraft were hit, including the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160.'
'In general, we are talking about the defeat of 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main airfields of the Russian Federation,' Malyuk claimed. 'This was not just a devastating blow to enemy aircraft, but a serious slap in the face of the power and terrorist essence of the Russian Federation.'
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian government's center for counteracting disinformation, said that so far, there is evidence that 13 aircraft were destroyed.
'…even more were damaged …(over 40 in total),' he claimed on Telegram, though that figure could rise. We must make clear that all of this still needs to be confirmed. Meanwhile, Russian sources discount the damage.
Again, The War Zone cannot independently verify either claims. Adding to the challenges of doing so is that many of the air bases attacked are under cloud cover, making verification through traditional satellite imagery impossible.
Satellite mapping images taken by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) over the Belaya airbase appear to indicate that four Tu-95s and four Tu-22M3s were destroyed at the base. There are further indications that four Tu-95s and one An-12 were destroyed at Olenya, for a total of 13 airframes. No images have yet emerged of Dyagilevo or Ivanovo, so the total number of aircraft destroyed or damaged could be higher. When it comes to SAR imagery, especially of the commercial variety, it should be treated as an indicator and not conclusive for evaluating damage like this. Pairing what is imaged with other intelligence-related products can help bridge the certainty gap. So, we will have to wait for more information.
The revetted parking positions. pic.twitter.com/WNFYnlEZDz
— Chris Biggers (@CSBiggers) June 2, 2025
Olenya/Olenegorsk/Vysokiy (part two).Burning An-12: 68.146555, 33.450901Destroyed Tu-95MS from part 3 at 68.145419, 33.449928 identified as RF-94257 '22 Red'
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555.bsky.social) 2025-06-02T14:24:07.929Z
There was also some indication that a Tu-95MS may have also been destroyed at the Ukrainka air base.
Yesterday's drone attack on Ukrainka Air Base in the Amur Oblast of Russia's Far East, right on the border with China, which was initially believed to have been a total failure, with the truck and drone container seen burning on the side of the road after some kind of… https://t.co/ALhvHr9rsM
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 2, 2025
There are additional suggestions that two more Tu-95s may have been damaged, as well as an Il-76 Candid transport aircraft.
Updated BDA of Operation Pavutyna as of 1500 EST June 2nd 2025. Olenya Airfield 4x Destroyed TU-95 1x Likely Destroyed TU-951x Destroyed AN-12(Typo on my part kept accidentally typing AN-22) Belaya Airfield3x Destroyed TU-95 1x Damaged TU-95 4 TU-22M3 in total…
— Intelschizo (@Schizointel) June 2, 2025
'At the Olenya airbase in the Murmansk region, where Pantsir was actively working, only one Tu-95MS was lost and another was seriously damaged,' the Russian Military Chronicle Telegram channel claimed. 'The only thing that saved us was that the planes were standing empty for routine maintenance, without missiles. According to other sources, 8 Tu-95MS units were partially or completely lost, including possibly an Il-76 (the pictures are not clear). Also, 4 Tu-22M units and 1 An-12 were disabled.'
No imagery has yet emerged of damaged or destroyed Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, the A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, or the transport airframes.
Several videos were posted immediately after the attacks showing Russian bombers being struck, burning, as well as the drones being launched.
Ukrainian drones struck Russian strategic aviation at the Belaya air base in Irkutsk – 4,800 km from Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/UBAi7znioR
— Michael MacKay (@mhmck) June 1, 2025
Locals filmed dozens of small FPV-like drones which reportedly struck multiple aircraft and other targets at the base. In short, a truck drove up to a gas station in the town next to the base and launched at least 20 drones.#BudanovApproves#OSINT pic.twitter.com/yrjEBSUT8g
— OSINT Intuit
(@UKikaski) June 1, 2025
The Russian aviation-connected Fighterbomber Telegram channel downplayed the scope of the damage but acknowledged the seriousness of the attack.
'… 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers were hit. This is pure bullshit,' Fighterbomber wrote on Monday morning. 'The number of planes hit is in the single digits. (Hit does not always mean destroyed) And our carriers are Tu-95, Tu-160 and Tu-22. But yes, even one destroyed [strategic bomber] is a huge loss for a country that does not yet make such aircraft and has nowhere to get them.'
In addition to more information about the number of types of aircraft destroyed, more details are emerging about how this attack was carried out.
'First the SBU transported FPV drones to Russia, and later – mobile wooden houses,' the SBU said Monday. 'Already in the territory of the Russian Federation, drones were hidden under the roofs of houses, placed on trucks. At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit the designated targets – Russian bombers.'
One video shows one of the drones hovering over a bomber as it slowly approaches its point of detonation. SBU spokesman Artem Dekhtiarenko declined to offer more details, adding that for now, he can only share the information provided in the official statement.
'Some things may be told only upon approval at a determined time,' he told us. 'We disclose the details only when it will not hamper the future operations.'
Footage showing a Ukrainian FPV Drone striking one of the fuel tanks on a Tu-95MS Long-Range Strategic Bomber at Olenya Airbase in Murmansk today during Operation Spiderweb. pic.twitter.com/7EObjb5VDA
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 1, 2025
It's been a long time since I worked with ArduPilot Mission Planner, but I think this screenshot suggests this drone navigated to the airfield autonomously and then was hand-flown into the target. "PosHold", "0m>6" and the map in the upper left are the clues. 1/ pic.twitter.com/1W5MZWBlJ3
— John Wiseman (@lemonodor) June 1, 2025
Spiderweb, more than 18 months in the making, was a marvel of operational security, timing and logistics. It took place in secret, in different time zones, and required the manufacture and movement of drones, the trucks they were launched from, and the structures they were launched from.
The simplicity in this plan makes it. Use existing unwitting logistical avenues to drive your weapons to a location near unsuspecting enemy positions and unleash your attack.I'd love to know how they got these structures into Russia. https://t.co/pN0aTDY0H8
— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) June 2, 2025
As we mentioned yesterday, containers with the drones were assembled in Russia, according to Russian milblogger Sergey Kolyasnikov.
'We found a warehouse where containers with drones were collected, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk tract 28A,' he wrote on Telegram. 'It was rented for 350,000 rubles (about $4,500). That's why the truck in the Amur region had Chelyabinsk license plates – they were leaving from there.'
Russian sources claim geolocation shows Ukrainian FPV drones used in the airbase attacks were assembled inside a rented warehouse at 28A Sverdlovsky Trakt, Chelyabinsk, Russia.The claimed facility lies just near the Kazakhstan border, possibly a supply route for components. pic.twitter.com/sYhhr9U1Do
— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 1, 2025
Ukrainian operatives duped those around them, the Kyiv Independent (KI) reported on Monday.
Those operatives, 'likely supported by embedded agents or sympathetic locals—built First Person View (FPV) drones using materials sourced from within Russia,' the publication wrote. 'These strike platforms were hidden inside wooden modular cabins constructed to look like prefabricated houses. Beneath the roof panels, drone bays were concealed between structural beams, with remotely operated opening mechanisms to allow launch on command.'
Unique footage and details of the preparation of the operation to destroy Russian air bases published by the SBU! Drones were hidden in the roofs of camouflaged cargo containers.According to SBU sources, Ukraine's Security Service conducted a special operation called… https://t.co/JcHfeRHOOCpic.twitter.com/Z3aldQSI7L
— Special Kherson Cat
(@bayraktar_1love) June 1, 2025
Once sealed, 'the cabins were loaded onto civilian trucks. The vehicles were then handed over to unwitting Russian drivers, recruited by Artyom, a 37-year-old ethnic Ukrainian who coordinated logistics under the cover of a private construction job,' KI noted. 'The drivers were told they were transporting portable homes to regions like Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ryazan, and Ivanovo. Each was given a delivery plan, a route, and a schedule. During transit, a mysterious intermediary would call and issue final location instructions—always near military infrastructure.'
Russia's defense ministry said it had detained an undisclosed number of 'participants in the terrorist attacks,' the Financial Times reported, citing state media.
How Ukraine's Special Services conned Russian truck drivers into delivering drones that then destroyed $7 billion of Russia's most irreplaceable aircraft.https://t.co/5WGZBpoOS3
— Kyiv Insider (@KyivInsider) June 2, 2025
Zelensky on Sunday offered another supposed detail.
'The most interesting thing – and we can already say this publicly – is that the 'office' of our operation on Russian territory was located right next to the FSB of Russia in one of their regions,' the Ukrainian president claimed.
In the aftermath of the attacks, video emerged of Russian authorities stopping trucks for inspection, creating large traffic jams across the nation as authorities try to determine if there are any more attacks in the offing.
Traffic jams are being reported today all across Russia, with trucks seen backed-up for miles in the Irkutsk Oblast, as the Federal Security Service (FSB) and other law enforcement agencies frantically search for any additional drone carriers, fearing another large-scale drone… pic.twitter.com/n3n5RZznHN
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 2, 2025
While the damage from Sunday's attack was still being assessed, both sides launched new cross-border barrages. Video emerged on social media of claimed attacks on the Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, though the results of those incidents are unclear.
'In Lipetsk Oblast, a drone crashed behind a three-story apartment building in Lebedyan, causing a fire and shattering windows from the blast wave,' Euromaidan Press reported. 'Local reports suggested drones attempted to target the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant NLMK industrial plant that produces steel.'
'Voronezh Oblast experienced infrastructure damage when a high-voltage wire broke on the M-4 'Don' highway,' according to Euromaidan Press. 'Governor Alexander Gusev reported broken windows in houses and vehicles but stated there were no civilian casualties among the 15 drones intercepted in the region. Local residents reported attacks on the Borisoglebsk military airfield, which houses an aviation repair plant previously targeted in January 2025, according to Russian independent media Astra.'
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 'air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 162 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles' overnight. That included 27 UAVs over the Lipetsk region, 16 over the Voronezh region, 11 over the Bryansk region and 11 over the Ryazan region.
Drones are heavily attacking Lipetsk.Target: Lipetsk-2 airbase, NLMK steelworks, and ammunition warehouses. pic.twitter.com/QtxXlndeTr
— Ukraine Front Line (@EuromaidanPR) June 2, 2025
Overnight, Russia was again under a massive attack reporting downing 162 Ukrainian drones across 8 regions.A military airfield was targeted in Voronezh Oblast, according to local residents. The airfield also houses an aviation repair plant that was previously hit in January… pic.twitter.com/fv6kyXd0OJ
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 2, 2025
Russia launched attacks as well, firing 80 Shahed attack drones and simulator drones of various types along with three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and an Iskander-K cruise missile, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
'The main areas of the air strike are Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions,' the Air Force stated on Telegram.
In the morning, the enemy struck one of the enterprises of the Chernihiv region.
Firefighters localized the fire to an area of ​​6800 sq. m. There is no threat of further spread. pic.twitter.com/QWbbPs9jBM
— The Ukrainian Review (@UkrReview) June 2, 2025
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia held the second round of talks aimed at ending the conflict, now in its fourth year. Negotiations concluded in a little more than an hour, with little additional progress made.
The two sides did agree on an exchange of prisoners and remains, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to an 'all-for-all' exchange of seriously wounded and ill prisoners of war, as well as all service members aged 18–25, Umerov told reporters. Both sides have also agreed to begin exchanging the bodies of 6,000 service members each, he added.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov states following today's peace talks in Istanbul, that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a 'all-for-all' exchange of seriously wounded and ill prisoners of war, as well as all servicemembers aged 18–25. He adds that both sides have also… pic.twitter.com/hkTRRpuDDu
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 2, 2025
While Ukraine was seeking a full ceasefire as a starting point in negotiations, Moscow's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, stated that Russia proposed a partial ceasefire at the talks in Istanbul, The Guardian reported.
'We have proposed a specific ceasefire for two to three days in certain areas of the front line,' Medinsky said, 'so that commanders can collect the bodies of their soldiers.'
There was no immediate response to that from Ukrainian negotiators.
Another key point that emerged was Ukraine handing Russia a list of 'several hundred' children that Kyiv wants returned from Russia, according to Umerov. These abductions were the subject of an international criminal court arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as other Russian officials.
It is unknown at the moment how Russia will respond to having its bombers successfully attacked on such a scale from inside its own borders, however, the devastation of even a portion of its strategic bomber fleet will likely engender a response beyond the scope of what have become almost routine drone and missile attacks.
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