Latest news with #OperationSpider'sWeb
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia claims nighttime strikes on Ukraine were retaliation for Operation Spider's Web
The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed that its forces launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine on the night of 5-6 June 2025, targeting what it described as facilities belonging to Ukraine's defence industry and military infrastructure. Source: Russian Defence Ministry, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the attack involved high-precision, long-range weapons launched from air, sea and land, as well as attack drones. The targets, according to the ministry, included design bureaus, weapons production and repair facilities, drone assembly workshops, flight training centres and Armed Forces of Ukraine storage facilities. Read also: Ukrainian Air Force spokesman on Operation Spider's Web: Even one aircraft lost is a major blow for Russia The Russian Defence Ministry claimed the attack was a response to what it called "terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime", specifically referencing Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web. The ministry asserted that "all planned targets were hit". Background: On the night of 5-6 June 2025, Russia launched a combined attack on Ukraine, with the cities of Kyiv, Ternopil, Lutsk, Chernihiv and Lviv Oblast coming under fire. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia deployed 452 aerial attack assets, including missiles and drones. Air defences downed 406 targets, with hits recorded in 13 locations and damage caused by falling debris. As a result of the attack on Kyiv, three rescuers were killed, and dozens of people were injured. In Kyiv Oblast, railway tracks were damaged due to the attack by Russia, forcing several trains to follow alternative routes. On 1 June 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine carried out a special operation codenamed Pavutyna (Spider's Web), one of the largest and most complex sabotage operations against Russian military aviation. SSU chief Vasyl Maliuk stated that "in total, 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main Russian airfields were destroyed". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine struck Russian Tu-95 bombers prepared for missile attacks
The Russian Tu-95 bombers targeted during Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web were preparing to launch missile strikes on Ukraine, Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defence Forces' Intelligence Centre, reports. Source: Estonian public broadcaster ERR, as reported by European Pravda Details: Kiviselg said that all the damaged aircraft had been actively involved in missile attacks on Ukraine. He stated that Ukraine struck at least five strategic airfields deep inside Russia, completely destroying at least seven long-range bombers and damaging at least two more. "The bombers that were hit were preparing for strike missions, and it can be said that Ukraine targeted the most combat-ready segment of Russia's strategic air force," Kiviselg said. He noted that restoring the aircraft will require significant additional resources from Russia. "Above all, this means bolstering internal security and force protection measures within Russia," the intelligence chief added. Kiviselg also noted the importance of Ukraine having carried out a series of simultaneous special operations in Russia's most remote regions, calling it a strong signal to the Putin regime about the potential Ukraine possesses to force Russia into genuine peace negotiations. In such a situation, he said any retaliatory actions by Russia appear weak and unconvincing, merely highlighting its inability to respond effectively. Kiviselg reiterated that Russia responded with a strike using 407 attack drones and 44 missiles but stressed that Russia is currently incapable of doing more than that. Background: Axios reported that US President Donald Trump is supposedly enthusiastic about Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web but concerned about Russia's possible response. A senior official in the North Atlantic Alliance hailed Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web targeting Russian strategic aircraft as highly successful. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Best of Both Sides: Operation Sindoor, Spider's Web make it clear — the infantry needs and upgrade
The technological shock of World War I was the machine gun, which could cut down rows and rows of infantrymen from a distance in the battlefield. Combined with barbed wire and mines, it made movement across open land difficult and dangerous. The 21st-century equivalent of the machine gun seems to be drones, small and large, which have caused more casualties in the Ukraine war than any other weapon. Their widespread use spans reconnaissance, strikes, and logistics. Drones have not only altered the tactical battlefield but have had a strategic impact as well. This was demonstrated by Operation Spider's Web, through which Ukraine launched an attack across the geographic spread of Russia, destroying some dozen aircraft including strategic bombers. The real impact of the operation has been psychological. The calls in Russia for nuclear retaliation are a measure of the shock. Spider's Web can be compared to an earlier operation when Ukraine sank the Russian guided missile cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea in 2022. The ship was sunk by anti-ship missiles. But a Bayraktar TB2 drone played a key role as a spotter to aid the Ukrainian effort. Subsequently, the Ukrainians have used aerial and maritime drones to push Russian naval power out of much of the Black Sea. Just as the machine gun was used in combination with artillery, trenches, mines and barbed wire in WWI, so too are drones being used in combination with other elements like armour, artillery, air power and information as force multipliers. First Person View (FPV) drones, which give the operator a driver's view from the camera, have made the battlefront more transparent. The movement of infantrymen and armour across the battlefield has become very difficult. The use of drones and associated loitering munitions in the recent 80-hour conflict between India and Pakistan marks a new beginning for the Subcontinent. Their employment was nowhere as extensive as in the Ukraine war, but it certainly is a pointer to their future use in the region. FPV drones enable a concentration of fire with the use of swarms, even while your own forces remain decentralised. Their effectiveness is due to their low cost and enormous accuracy, and their ranges, which can be anywhere from 10 to 30 kilometres. This has made an area of 20 km on either side of the battlefront a zone of death. Movement, whether by tanks or individuals, is hazardous. A new and deadly innovation has been the use of fibre optic cables to guide the drones without being jammed. It can only be taken out if you kill the operator. But detecting him or her is a monumental task. All this has led to greater emphasis on concealment, dispersed formations and anti-drone measures like jamming, smoke screens, or netting. Infantrymen have now begun operating in small teams, which try to penetrate deeper across the battlefront with greater stealth and discipline. Clustering in open areas and using insecure communications can lead to needless casualties. It is, therefore, firepower that seeks to aid the push. This in turn means that the defenders must fight from prepared defences, ideally from deep or underground bunkers. None of this should suggest that the infantry is obsolete. It remains critical to execute close-quarters combat and execute manoeuvres that drones cannot replicate. FPVs have been used for precision strikes, reconnaissance and artillery spotting, but infantry units are still needed to seize and hold the ground. FPVs should be seen as tools that enhance infantry capabilities, not replace them. The idea of using the infantry en masse to charge across the battlefield was killed by the machine gun. Now, the FPV drones have made infantry hugely vulnerable through precise low-cost strikes, requiring greater emphasis on concealment and dispersal. The infantry needs to operate as part of a cohesive combined arms team, integrating armour, artillery, engineers and air support to maximise their effectiveness. There may also be a need to integrate anti-drone systems, including handheld weaponry like longer-range pellet guns so that the infantry can deal with the FPV threat. Drone operators need to be integrated into these forces at the platoon level and trained in the use of drones and counter-measures. Constructing effective fortifications and defending them need to become an essential part of drone-led warfare. Small-unit tactics, initiative and adaptability are crucial. High-quality junior and non-commissioned officers are, therefore, essential. In fact, the arrival of FPV drones should encourage the Army to reduce the size of the infantry, but make it more effective through higher training levels. The future of drone warfare needs to be seen along with the advances in autonomous systems, which will integrate the infantry more closely with robotics and AI. Human soldiers, however, will still be needed to hold the terrain, make decisions and deal with complex situations that machines won't know how to engage with. The writer is distinguished fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
Rhyl Journal
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Russian ambassador blames UK in part for Ukraine's drone attacks
The British Council has meanwhile been barred from returning to Russia, as tensions between Moscow and the West continue to deepen. Andrei Kelin, Russian President Vladimir Putin's man in London, warned that Kyiv was escalating the conflict with its recent attacks in an interview with Sky News. He pointed to Operation Spider's Web, the mass covert drone attack which struck long-range bomber planes at four airbases deep within Russian territory. Mr Kelin urged Ukraine to 'not try to engulf World War III', according to Sky News. In a signal that he believed the attack was supported by Kyiv's Western allies, he added it involved 'provision of very high technology, so-called geospaced data, which only can be done by those who have it in possession'. 'And this is London and Washington,' he said. Elsewhere, Russian news agency Tass reported that the British Council, an educational organisation, has been barred from re-entering Russia by the security services. The council ceased its operations in Russia in 2018, but Moscow claims those who work for it could be spies. Interacting with the British Council 'entails administrative and criminal liability', Tass reported.
Glasgow Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Russian ambassador blames UK in part for Ukraine's drone attacks
The British Council has meanwhile been barred from returning to Russia, as tensions between Moscow and the West continue to deepen. Andrei Kelin, Russian President Vladimir Putin's man in London, warned that Kyiv was escalating the conflict with its recent attacks in an interview with Sky News. Residential houses are destroyed after a Russian drone strike in Pryluky village, Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) He pointed to Operation Spider's Web, the mass covert drone attack which struck long-range bomber planes at four airbases deep within Russian territory. Mr Kelin urged Ukraine to 'not try to engulf World War III', according to Sky News. In a signal that he believed the attack was supported by Kyiv's Western allies, he added it involved 'provision of very high technology, so-called geospaced data, which only can be done by those who have it in possession'. 'And this is London and Washington,' he said. Elsewhere, Russian news agency Tass reported that the British Council, an educational organisation, has been barred from re-entering Russia by the security services. The council ceased its operations in Russia in 2018, but Moscow claims those who work for it could be spies. Interacting with the British Council 'entails administrative and criminal liability', Tass reported.
