Moscow: On Sunday, Ukraine executed a significant drone assault aimed at five major Russian military airbases in what it described as its “most extensive operation to date,” reaching targets far into Russian territory—thousands of kilometers away from the front lines. This covert mission, dubbed “Spider’s Web,” was carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which successfully targeted at least 41 aircraft utilized to “bomb Ukrainian cities,” including the Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers, as well as the A-50 radar detection and command aircraft.
Moscow acknowledged that five of its airfields located in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions were struck by Kyiv using first-person-view (FPV) drones.
“The Kyiv regime executed a terror attack employing FPV drones on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions. All terror attacks on military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur Regions were thwarted. There were no reported casualties among military personnel or civilians. Some individuals involved in the terror attacks have been apprehended,” stated Russia’s defense ministry in a Sunday announcement.
Moscow conceded that several of its aircraft “ignited” during the assaults. “Due to the deployment of FPV drones from areas near military airfields in the Murmansk and Irkutsk Regions, several aircraft ignited. The fires were subsequently extinguished,” the statement elaborated.
Operational Strategy of Spider’s Web
Ukraine frequently deploys drones to target locations in Russia as a countermeasure to the Russian invasion of 2022; however, the strategy employed this time was notably distinct.
The operation known as “Spider’s web” was initiated following over a year and a half of planning, as stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who praised the “brilliant” outcomes of “our most extensive operation” in more than three years of conflict. Zelensky noted that Ukraine utilized 117 drones in a significant assault, targeting “34 percent of the strategic cruise missile carriers” located at the designated airfields.
As per sources from the Ukrainian SBU, the operation’s planning involved particularly intricate logistics. Drones were secretly transported into Russia beforehand, hidden beneath the roofs of wooden cabins placed on trucks. When the attack commenced, the roofs of these structures were remotely opened to allow the drones to launch towards their short-range objectives.
The Ukrainian “Pavutyna” (spider net) operation represents today’s coordinated strike on four of Russia’s strategic aviation airbases, reportedly resulting in the destruction of 40 (forty) strategic bombers across 4 (four) airbases: Belaya (4,700 km from Ukraine), Dyagilevo (700 km), Olenya (2,000 km),… pic.twitter.com/AYr5g7Xr7L
— Sergej Sumlenny, LL.M (@sumlenny) June 1, 2025
Images released by the SBU depict numerous small black drones concealed within what seem to be transport containers.
Russia’s defense ministry acknowledged that the drones were not launched from Ukrainian soil but rather “in the immediate vicinity of the airbases”.
The Belaya airbase in Irkutsk Oblast, located approximately 4,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, and the Olenya airbase in Murmansk Oblast, around 2,000 kilometers from the northern frontlines, were targeted during the assault. Videos circulating online appear to show Russian aircraft ablaze at these two airbases, with thick smoke billowing above the tarmac.
The Russian ministry announced that it effectively countered various attacks in the Ivanovo and Ryazan regions, as well as in Amur, which is located near the border with China in the Russian Far East.
‘Damage in Billions’
Ukraine’s SBU security service has asserted that it has targeted Russian military aircraft valued at a total of $7 billion during a series of drone strikes. “The estimated cost of the enemy’s strategic aviation, which was impacted today due to the SBU’s special operation, is $7 billion,” the agency stated in a post on social media.
Nevertheless, Russia has yet to verify this claim. The SBU previously reported that coordinated strikes affected 41 aircraft utilized to “bomb Ukrainian cities,” alleging damage to Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers, as well as the A-50 radar detection and command aircraft.
Additionally, Russia’s defense ministry confirmed that “several aircraft caught fire” as a result of a drone attack on bases in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, situated in the Russian Arctic and eastern Siberia.
The ministry indicated that the fires were contained and did not result in any casualties. State agencies reported that Russia had detained several suspects, including the driver of a truck from which a drone had launched.
However, Zelensky stated that individuals involved in orchestrating the attacks were “extracted from Russian territory in time.”
Timing
The meticulously planned operation occurred at a sensitive juncture, three years into Russia’s invasion.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he would be sending a delegation to Istanbul, led by his Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, for discussions with Russian officials on Monday.
Turkey is facilitating the meeting, which was prompted by US President Donald Trump’s advocacy for a swift resolution to conclude the three-year conflict.
Zelensky, who had previously expressed doubts regarding Russia’s sincerity in proposing the meeting on Monday, indicated that key priorities included “a complete and unconditional ceasefire” along with the return of prisoners and abducted children.
