Latest news with #Tymofieiev
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First Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Are a former DJ and his wife behind Ukraine's daring drone attack on Russia?
Artem Tymofieiev, a former DJ born in Ukraine, has come under Russia's radar. He is suspected of having orchestrated Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web, under which Kyiv targeted four Russian air bases with explosive-laden drones. His tattoo artist wife, who moonlighted as an erotic writer, is believed to have helped him read more In this image taken from video released June 1, 2025, by a source in the Ukrainian Security Service shows a Ukrainian drone striking Russian planes deep in Russia's territory. Ukrainian Security Service source via AP Russia has launched a manhunt for the couple behind Ukraine's surprise drone attack on targets deep inside Russian territory. A former Ukrainian DJ is reportedly suspected of having orchestrated Ukraine's audacious 'Operation Spider's Web' with the help of his wife, a tattoo artist. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called the Sunday drone strikes one for the 'history books'. The assault, which Kyiv claims caused damages estimated at $7 billion, has stunned Russia. All eyes are now on Moscow's response to Ukraine's drone attack. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As Russia looks for the perpetrators of the attack, here's what we know about the couple believed to be involved. Ex-DJ, wife likely behind Ukraine's drone attack A former Ukrainian DJ, identified as Artem Tymofieiev, is the Ukrainian secret agent who helped carry out Ukraine's Sunday drone strikes on four Russian air bases, as per a Daily Mail report. Ukraine has said its operation, dubbed Spider's Web, damaged or destroyed 41 Russian aircraft, including nuclear-capable Tu-95 and Tu-22M strategic bombers. Russia has now begun a hunt for Tymofieiev for allegedly orchestrating Ukraine's drone attack, reported The 37-year-old was born in the Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr and lived in Kyiv, where he reportedly owned a clothing brand with his wife — Ekaterina 'Katya' Timofeeva. Tymofieiev shifted to the Russian city of Chelyabinsk 'several years ago', Russian sources told Daily Mail. There, he ran a haulage firm and his 34-year-old wife worked as a stylist and tattoo artist. She also moonlighted as an erotic writer and is believed to have aided her husband in Operation Spider's Web, as per Russian media outlets. The Ukrainian Secret Service smuggled 117 drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds, which were loaded onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the Russian air bases. 'At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,' a Ukrainian military source told Associated Press (AP). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Russia has reportedly alleged that Tymofieiev owned the truck company in Chelyabinsk. His business was a perfect cover as it is not rare for Russian lorry drivers to cover long distances. Tymofieiev's trucks were driven to Olenya airbase in Murmansk, Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, and Diaghilev and Ivanov bases — all thousands of kilometres away from Chelyabinsk. According to Daily Mail, 'Artem' hired four heavy goods drivers to transport what they thought were just 'wooden framed houses' to various locations across Russia. Two of the drivers reportedly told investigators that a man called Artem told them to transport 'frame houses', one went to the Murmansk region and another to Irkutsk. When the drivers were close to the four Russian air bases, they received calls from an unknown number –– using Russian SIM cards and Russian telecommunications networks. They were told where to stop the trucks, reported The hero of Ukraine 🇺🇦 Artyom (or Artem) Timofeev who executed the Operation Spider's Web (or Operation Spiderweb). — Humanist Uzbek 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@HumanistUzbek) June 2, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And then began Operation Spider's Web. Hundreds of explosive-laden drones simultaneously flew out of the trucks to hit Russian warplanes and destroyed 34 per cent of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers, Kyiv says. As per the Ukrainian president, it took more than a year and a half to prepare for the complex operation that pro-Russian bloggers have dubbed Russia's Pearl Harbor . Hunt on for the couple Russia is searching for the Ukrainian couple. 'Artem is now wanted in connection with a terrorist attack in the Irkutsk region,' Russian online news source Readovka reported. 'Four lorries were registered in his name, and one of them was the source of the drones that launched [in an attack on a Russian air base].' Reports say Ekaterina has not been online in two weeks and has since scrubbed her usually active social media accounts. Her husband was last seen at the couple's apartment in Chelyabinsk nearly a week ago. So, where is the couple now? It remains uncertain. However, if the Ukrainian Secret Service is to be believed, everyone behind Operation Spider's Web has been 'in Ukraine for a long time'. With inputs from agencies
News18
7 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Who Is Artem Tymofieiev, The Mastermind Behind Ukraine's Drone Strikes Deep Inside Russia?
Tymofieiev is believed to have helped Kyiv strike deep within Russian territory — targeting four strategic air bases across three time zones using swarms of kamikaze drones After Ukraine's massive drone strike on Russia shook the world, many are now asking how Kyiv — often seen as the underdog in its full-scale war with Moscow — managed to carry out one of the most daring attacks since the conflict began in 2022. A name now echoing through intelligence circles and Kremlin war rooms alike is Artem Tymofieiev. Once an unassuming 'entrepreneur" living in Chelyabinsk, Russia, he is now at the center of a nationwide manhunt, suspected of orchestrating one of the most audacious military operations of the war, according to a report in DailyMail. Nicknamed the 'mastermind" behind Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web, Tymofieiev is believed to have helped Kyiv strike deep within Russian territory — targeting four strategic air bases across three time zones using swarms of kamikaze drones. The operation, unprecedented in scope, reportedly destroyed a significant portion of Russia's long-range bomber fleet — aircraft that have haunted Ukrainian skies since the war began in 2022. Tymofieiev's Quiet Life With A Hidden Mission Tymofieiev's story reads like a Cold War thriller. According to Russian authorities, he was born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, and later lived in Kyiv. At some point in the last few years, he relocated to Chelyabinsk, more than 1,000 miles east of Moscow and just 85 miles from the Kazakh border. Officially, he ran a small business. Unofficially, he may have been Ukraine's man behind enemy lines — a sleeper agent embedded in plain sight, as per the DailyMail report. Operation Spider's Web In what sounds like a screenplay plot, drones were smuggled into Russia, hidden in flatbed trucks disguised as mobile wooden cabins. These trucks, driven by unwitting Russian drivers hired by Tymofieiev, transported the drones to air bases in Ryazan, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, and even as far as Murmansk in the Arctic Circle. On June 1 — coinciding with Russia's Military Transport Aviation Day — the trucks were parked near the base perimeters. Then, almost in unison, the truck roofs were remotely opened. The drones — controlled by Ukrainian pilots via Russia's own mobile network — soared toward their targets. Ukraine claims to have destroyed up to 41 aircraft, including rare TU-95 and TU-22 bombers and even a Beriev A-50 early warning plane. Satellite imagery and drone footage released by Ukraine support the scale of destruction. Tymofieiev is now on every Russian watchlist, with his name and photo circulated by Russian authorities. They claim he oversaw drone assembly in a rented Chelyabinsk warehouse, ironically located next to an FSB office. According to Russia's interior ministry, the lorries used in the attacks were registered under his name. Drivers testified that they were merely delivering 'wooden houses," unaware of the lethal cargo. However, Ukraine's security service, the SBU, asserts that Tymofieiev and his team are 'safely back in Ukraine." Location : Kyiv, Ukraine First Published:
Metro
7 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
How a former DJ orchestrated 'Pearl Harbour' drone strike on Putin's bombers
The man behind what is considered the 'worst day in the history of the Russian air force' is a former DJ who took part in the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. Artem Tymofieiev, 37, is the focus of a nationwide manhunt in Russia after more than 40 warplanes were blown up this weekend by unsuspecting lorries carting drones. He's believed to be the mastermind behind 'Operation Spider's Web', an audacious plot which saw Ukraine orchestrate drone launches within striking distance of major Russian bases. Tymofieiev, now believed to be back in Ukraine, first moved to the Russian city of Chelyabinsk years ago, where he took up work as an 'entrepreneur', which saw him operate several lorries for haulage. But before his move, he was a supporter of the Ukrainian revolution in 2014, which toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. He and his wife previously lived in Kyiv and owned a clothing brand while working as a DJ on the side. Reports show that he shared photos online from the Euromaidan protests and openly mocked Ukraine's Putin-loving ex-president Yanukovych. The Euromaidan protests began in November 2013 when the pro-Russian government attempted to reverse long-running efforts to integrate the country with Europe. In February 2014, it was swept away after months of huge and often violent demonstrations, culminating in a revolution and the installation of a pro-European government. It's unclear if Tymofieiev was working for Kyiv intelligence the entire time he lived in Russia, or if he was recruited after the war began while living abroad. One Russian blogger suggested he was a 'wolf in sheep's clothing', helping to orchestrate the large attack from within Russian borders, while going seemingly undetected. His wife also lived with him in Russia, working as a stylist and tattoo artist, even penning erotic novels. She's suspected of aiding her husband in the audacious plot. Here's how the unsuspecting couple living in Russia helped orchestrate the attack which crippled Putin's air forces. Operation Spider's Web targeted four air bases deep inside Russia – Belaya airfield in Irkutsk, Siberia; Olenya air base in Murmansk, near the Arctic Circle; Diaghilev air base in Ryazan; and a base near Ivanovo. But managing to get drones across Russian borders and up to 2,000 miles inland is no easy feat. Tymofieiev did run a haulage business and operated multiple lorries in his own name. It seems he used this business as a front to trick heavy goods drivers into driving the drones, which they believed were wooden-framed homes, to the various locations. Drivers Alexander and Andrei told local media they had been hired by a man named Artem, who provided the trucks, with each driver sent to separate locations near the four air bases. When the drivers neared the air bases, they said they were called by an unknown number who told them where to stop the trucks. It was then that the drones were launched. Photos and videos then showed how Operation Spider's Web went off without a hitch – the drones launched from within the trucks, striking the nearby air bases, crippling the Russian air force. Pro-Putin Telegram channels were flooded by reaction to the strikes, with some commentators calling them 'Russia's Pearl Harbour' and the 'blackest day in aviation'. More Trending The planes hit by Ukraine are expensive and vital parts of Russia's arsenal, with A-50 jets costing as much as £ 260 million each. Russia only has fewer than 10 of these planes in its possession. Operation Spider's Web appears to have been a success, with the whereabouts of Tymofieiev and his wife currently unknown. The attack took Russian forces by surprise, but Putin appears to have launched a revenge attack overnight. Cities across Ukraine were on fire today in savage new Russian strikes as the Kremlin dictator began exacting revenge for the destruction and damage to his nuclear-capable T-95MS and Tu-22M aircraft. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: The UK is 'sleepwalking into a bloody ambush and may not be around in 2034' MORE: I'm a liberal snowflake but I'd fight for Britain in a heartbeat MORE: Ukraine's 'Pearl Harbour' strike on Putin 'may have breached nuclear doctrine'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Man supposedly linked to strategic aviation attack declared wanted in Russia
Authorities in the city of Ust-Kut in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast have declared a man wanted for supposedly being involved in the drone attack on the Belaya airbase, which houses strategic aviation, and have published his photo. Source: Ust-Kut City Administration on Telegram; Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency TASS; Russian Telegram channel Baza Details: The authorities named the wanted individual as Andrii Tymofieiev, born in 1987 in Donetsk. He is said to be "possibly involved in the drone attack on the Belaya military airbase". However, Baza reports that Tymofieiev was actually born in Zhytomyr and later lived in Kyiv. "A few years ago, he moved to Chelyabinsk Oblast. Most of his relatives, as well as Tymofieiev himself, were registered in the city of Miass," the channel states. Baza also claims that in October 2024, Tymofieiev registered a sole proprietorship in the cargo transport sector. In December, he supposedly purchased several vehicles. "It was with the help of these vehicles that the 1 June attacks on military facilities were organised. Sources say that a wanted notice for Tymofieiev has been distributed to all Interior Ministry departments," Baza reports. Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, commenting on the attack on Russian strategic aircraft, said that "our people withdrew from Russian territory on the eve of the operation and are now safe, as are those who helped us". On 1 June, a series of strikes against Russian aircraft took place at at least four airfields in Russia. According to Ukrainska Pravda sources, this was a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine, which resulted in the destruction of about 40 aircraft, including strategic bombers. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the attack using FPV drones on military airfields in five regions, blaming the so-called Kyiv regime for the attack. According to Axios, the United States was not informed about Ukraine's military operation to destroy dozens of Russian aircraft. Zelenskyy called the operation to destroy more than 40 strategic aircraft at Russian airfields a brilliant result that will go down in history books. Later, the first satellite images appeared online, allowing for a better assessment of Russian losses at the Belaya airbase in Irkutsk Oblast. GEOINT consultant Chris Biggers published the photos. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
