Latest news with #OperationSpider-Web
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukraine Embarrasses Putin With Underwater Bomb Plot on His Beloved Bridge
Ukraine's security service, the SBU, carried out a fresh attack on the bridge connecting Russia with occupied Crimea, just days after launching a devastating surprise assault on airbases deep within Russian territory. Video footage shows smoke billowing over the Kerch Bridge following a powerful underwater blast, which the SBU said contained 1,100kg of explosives that 'severely damaged' its foundations. The Kerch Bridge was built in 2018 following Russia's annexation of Crimea four years prior. The bridge holds huge symbolic and sentimental value for Vladimir Putin, who views it as the embodiment of his goal to permanently bind Ukraine to Russia. The incident is the third time the bridge has been attacked since the start of the war. In October 2022, Ukrainian forces attempted to destroy it by detonating a truck full of explosives, which caused structural damage and set fire to part of the bridge. They tried again in 2023 with an experimental sea drone but only succeeded in causing minor damage. In both cases, Russia shut down the bridge and moved quickly to repair the damaged sections. In a post on Telegram announcing the new strike, SBU chief Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk said: 'God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always brings what is conceived to the end and never repeats itself. 'Previously, we struck the Crimean Bridge twice in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater. There is no place for any illegal Russian facilities on the territory of our state.' He added: 'Therefore, the Crimean Bridge is an absolutely legitimate target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops. Crimea is Ukraine, and any manifestations of occupation will receive our tough response.' The bombs detonated at 4:44 a.m., causing the bridge to temporarily close. Pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind reported it had been closed for inspection, possibly to examine damage, and it was reopened shortly afterward. At around 3 p.m., Crimean Wind reported the bridge had closed again, citing a 'powerful explosion' heard by locals and reports of a fresh drone strike from Ukraine. These claims have yet to be independently verified. The attack comes days after Ukraine launched a devastating surprise attack on Russia in which hundreds of drones destroyed a huge swath of the Kremlin's strategic bombers. Targeting five airbases deep within Russian territory, Ukraine's drones managed to destroy about 40 aircraft, around a third of Putin's fleet, totaling around $7 billion, including irreplaceable nuclear bombers and experimental craft. Announcing the news on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed he had personally overseen the surprise attack, nicknamed 'Operation Spider-Web,' which had taken more than 18 months to plan. Ukraine reportedly did not inform President Donald Trump's White House of the strike beforehand. 'We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state, and our people,' Zelensky wrote in a post on X. 'I outlined the tasks for the near term and also defined our positions ahead of the meeting in Istanbul on Monday.' Both Ukrainian and Russian officials met for peace talks in Istanbul on Monday but failed to make any progress in agreeing to a ceasefire.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin's Whole Trump Strategy Is in Tatters After Epic Drone Humiliation
Vladimir Putin might have thought he had succeeded in persuading Donald Trump that the Ukrainians had already lost the war against Russia. But an ingenious sneak attack targeting Putin's most prized military assets proves otherwise and has dealt a blow to Russia's nuclear deterrent. Using small quadcopter drones, the Ukrainian intelligence service SBU simultaneously struck multiple strategic bombers and early warning aircraft at four separate airbases across the vast Russian landmass on Sunday. The surprise attack is a military disaster and an embarrassment for the Russian president as he looks to pressure the U.S. and others to give up on Ukraine. The nature of the clandestine operation would not go amiss in a later Tom Clancy novel. Codenamed 'Operation Spider-Web,' the SBU drones were hidden in unattended cargo containers near the bases and began launching themselves one after another at Russian planes, including Soviet-era strategic bombers. Footage posted to social media showed the cheap drones crashing into Russian aircraft, some of which were already ablaze. Ukrainian officials released a statement claiming that '34 percent of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main airfields of the Russian Federation were hit.' Videos taken outside the base showed thick columns of smoke—and many of those planes, including Soviet-era TU-95 and TU-22M bombers, looked to be beyond repair. Russia's bomber fleet serves several purposes. Since 2022 it has been one of the main tools for Russian missile strikes at Ukrainian cities. The bombers also serve a more vital purpose for Russia: as one of the main components of Russia's nuclear deterrent alongside their nuclear missiles and submarines. Until now, Ukraine has only managed to down a few bombers. The reported loss of 40 or more planes in a single day does not amount to the destruction of Russia's entire bomber fleet, but it is a significantly larger blow to their inventory, and their pride. Ukraine has struck nuclear-related early warning radar installations before, but Russia's nuclear capabilities have never been called into question at this scale since the full-scale Russian invasion of 2022. Just as important is the claim that the attack struck one or more of Russia's A-50 early warning aircraft. These planes, while unarmed, are equipped with powerful radars that serve as the eyes and ears of the Russian air force, similar to the U.S. AWACS planes. Worse still, Russia likely only has five such aircraft operational after Ukraine reportedly shot down two of them in early 2024. If any of them are even temporarily unavailable, it could change Russia's air operations and reduce their awareness of Ukrainian air defense and their ability to find targets for the air force to bomb. The strike, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said was 18 months in the planning, is a disaster for Russia as it seeks to promote a sense of strength ahead of another round of negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul beginning Monday. Putin had a lot to brag about in theory: The new U.S. administration is seemingly scared of punishing Russia for its attacks on civilians, his forces are pushing to take more Ukrainian territory, and he has dramatically increased the scale of drone attacks against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Now, the narrative of the conflict has temporarily shifted to Ukraine's side. Even if an operation as complex as 'Spider's Web' cannot be replicated in the near term, Russia will still need to plan for contingencies and contend with Ukraine's long-range drones, which routinely target Russian airfields. How Russia will respond to the attack is an open question. Russian media is attempting to downplay or ignore the damage, but footage of the attacks is already widely available on social media. Historically, the way Russia regains the narrative in the war is to punitively bomb Ukrainian civilians. The very first drone attack on Ukraine's cities came after Kyiv successfully bombed the Russian-built bridge connecting Crimea to Russia. Russia has already been scaling up its drone attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities, but Putin may opt to launch an even larger large salvo of missiles and drones to show the Russian bomber fleet is not entirely out of the fight. Politically, Putin could try to use the strike to drive a deeper wedge between the U.S. and Ukraine, but it's unlikely to work. The White House claimed that they were not warned of the attack, but the mood in the White House has also seemingly shifted from blaming Ukraine to pleading with Russia to cease bombing Ukraine and work towards peace. These factors make it more likely that the U.S. will prove indifferent to the strike. For Russia, there is no silver bullet to protect its airbases from future acts of sabotage. The Kremlin cannot simply move all of its aircraft out of range—one of the bases struck was thousands of miles from the Ukrainian border. They could redouble their efforts to build hardened shelters for their aircraft, but those will still take a while to finish. Or they could increase the number of air defense systems and jammers at their bases, at the risk of disrupting operations and diverting sorely needed counter-drone systems from the front line. Whatever course the Russian military takes, they will have now to deal with the constant fear that Ukrainian drones will be over their heads.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine Deliberately Blindsided Trump Before Massive Drone Attack on Russia
President Donald Trump was deliberately left in the dark about Ukraine's unprecedented drone strike in Russia on Sunday, which destroyed nearly a third of the Kremlin's strategic bomber fleet in a surprise attack. The large-scale drone attack saw a fleet of drones scattered all across Russia carry out simultaneous attacks on five airbases, wiping out 40 irreplaceable military bombers worth an estimated $7 billion, which have been used to reign terror upon Ukrainian civilians. 'Operation Spider-Web' took over 18 months to plan and was personally overseen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a source told CBS News. Drones were smuggled deep into Russia in wooden crates on the back of trucks, which were later opened remotely, allowing the drones to take off. Among the targets hit was the Belaya air base in Russia's far-east Irkutsk region, located more than 2,500 miles away from Ukraine. During his evening address on Sunday, Zelensky said 117 drones had been deployed in the attack, and that Ukraine's base of operations in Russia had even been located next to a branch of the FSB, Russia's intelligence agency. The White House however has declined to comment on the attack—with an administration source confirming to NewsNation on Sunday that Trump was not informed about the operation before it had taken place. While no official reason has been given for the snub, it comes just months after the U.S. announced it would stop sharing military intelligence with Ukraine unless progress was made on peace talks. Trump's longtime fondness for Vladimir Putin and public dislike of Zelensky is also likely a key factor in Kyiv's reluctance to share information with the President. Following the strike, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to reiterate Trump's call for peace between the two nations, Axios reported on Sunday. Both Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet in Istanbul on Monday to engage in peace talks. 'We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state, and our people,' Zelensky wrote in a post on X. 'I outlined the tasks for the near term and also defined our positions ahead of the meeting in Istanbul on Monday.' The Ukrainian president said his priorities included 'a complete and unconditional ceasefire' and the return of abducted prisoners and children. Operation Spider-Web follows a similarly huge drone strike from Russia on Sunday night, in which the Kremlin launched 472 drones and seven missiles at Ukrainian military bases and infrastructure—the biggest drone attack in the war to date. 12 military personnel were killed in the attack and 60 more injured.
