SBU reveals footage from Operation "Spiderweb" against Russian bombers
Satellite imagery confirms multiple Russian aircraft damaged at four airbases
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has officially confirmed the results of Operation “Spiderweb” (“Pavutyna”), the most ambitious drone campaign carried out to date against the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to the agency, 41 Russian aircraft were damaged or destroyed in long-range attacks against four air bases, including Olenya in Murmansk Oblast, Ivanovo and Dyagilevo in the center of the country, and Belaya in the Irkutsk region.
The footage released by the SBU shows FPV drone strikes against the perimeter and apron areas of those four facilities. Several clips display direct impacts against aircraft identifiable as Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, Tu-160, A-50, Il-78, and An-12. Some of the drones appear to have targeted multiple parked aircraft in sequence, indicating a high level of coordination and target acquisition.
The SBU noted that the operation was personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and executed by the agency’s director Vasyl Maliuk. According to the agency, a number of the aircraft were “irreversibly destroyed,” while others “will take years to repair.”
One of the most significant aspects of the operation is the use of a hybrid drone guidance system combining autonomous artificial intelligence algorithms with manual operator input. In some cases, the drones continued their mission autonomously after losing communication, following a pre-programmed route. Upon reaching their target, the explosive charge was automatically triggered on contact.
The SBU estimates that the operation inflicted more than $7 billion USD in damage to the Russian Federation.
Satellite imagery from Airbus and Maxar confirms that multiple long-range bombers and support aircraft were affected, with post-strike imagery showing burn marks and visible wreckage in some of the parking areas. The operation has been hailed by Ukrainian officials as a direct response to Russia’s continued use of strategic aviation to launch cruise missile strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine.
If the confirmed damage holds, Operation “SipderWeb” would represent the single largest documented blow to Russia’s strategic aviation forces since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
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