The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Sunday a coordinated attack on four Russian air bases. According to Ukrainian information, more than 40 combat and reconnaissance aircraft were destroyed. According to the Kiev statement, the operation, codenamed Spider Web, targeted Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers and Beriev A-50 reconnaissance aircraft. The attack drones were launched from trucks, and the agents involved in the operation returned to Ukraine shortly after.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on his social media accounts on Sunday evening about an “absolutely brilliant success,” which he claimed was carried out by Ukraine alone with the help of 117 drones. According to MTI, the Ukrainian president said that it took a little more than a year and a half to prepare for the operation, which, according to the Security Service of Ukraine,

About 34 percent of Russian bombers capable of launching maneuvering drones were destroyed, worth a total of $7 billion.

In a related development, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that several aircraft caught fire after the Ukrainian military carried out a “terrorist attack” using first-person view (FPV) drones on military airfields in Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and the Amur region. The surprise and destructive power of the action has been compared by some analysts to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the main base of the United States Pacific Fleet in Hawaii, by the Imperial Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941.

Richard Pendlebury, a journalist for the Daily Mail, in an article published on Tuesday called the operation “one of the most daring military operations” by the Ukrainians, discussed in detail its mastermind and the secret of the operation’s success. As he wrote, the Ukrainian air force struck four Russian air bases in three time zones and thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border, where the Kremlin’s strategic bombers were stationed.

Bombers deep in Russia and a seemingly impossible task

The Russian heavy bomber fleet has carried out numerous operations in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022, causing significant destruction and dozens of deaths. The air force converted the aircraft, which were designed as strategic nuclear bombers during the Cold War, after 2022 to carry conventional long-range cruise missiles, which are launched from Russian airspace, beyond the range of Ukrainian air defense systems. The Russian air force currently operates three main types of bombers, all of which can be used for strategic or long-range, as well as tactical missions.

The largest and most modern type in the fleet is the Tupolev Tu-160, which is considered Russia's largest supersonic bomber. The variable-sweep, four-jet aircraft can reach speeds of up to Mach 2 and is used for strategic strikes, in particular the deployment of air-launched missiles, and for deterrence. This type was not reported to have been involved in the Ukrainian operation,

The drones were compared to the other two variants, the Tupolev Tu–95 and Tu–22, which share the ability to launch the Kh–22 supersonic missile. Its speed is sufficient to evade most Ukrainian air defense systems.

The best-known and oldest type in service, the Tupolev Tu-95 – NATO reporting name"Bear" – is a turboprop long-range strategic bomber. The model has been part of the Soviet and then Russian Air Forces since the 1950s, and its main role is to carry air-launched maneuvering robotic aircraft – including the H-55, H-101 and H-102 types. The first Russian supersonic bomber, the Tu-22 medium-range aircraft, is used to strike naval and land targets, as well as to participate in regional operations.

As the range and accuracy of Ukraine’s attack drone fleet increased, the bombers were moved deep into Russia to bases more protected from potential attacks. Several aircraft were deployed as far as Siberia and the Arctic Circle. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tasked the head of the SBU, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, with mapping out the hideouts a year and a half ago.

From there, only one question remained, which seemed unsolvable for a long time: even if they obtained accurate information about the location of the planes, how could they be reached from thousands of kilometers away, beyond the range of Ukrainian missiles and drones, penetrating one of the most sophisticated air defense systems in the world.

We needed an"office" and a protagonist

A sudden, seemingly crazy idea emerged as a solution to what seemed like an impossible task. Ukrainian military leaders wondered why they couldn't invade Russia, transport kamikaze drones to airbases on trucks, and target them at bombers from close range. The only other questions that had to be answered were how to smuggle the drones into enemy territory, hide them in a safe place, and then deploy them in a way that would ensure that those on the ground wouldn't be the victims of immediate retaliation.

First, a base was needed on Russian territory from which to control the logistics of Operation Spider's Web and launch the attack. According to information, the Ukrainian military leadership has chosen Chelyabinsk as the location of the Spider's Web base in Russia, or as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it, its"office",

which is located more than 1,600 kilometers from Moscow, but - which may have been important for the operation - only 136 kilometers north of the border with Kazakhstan.

Russian military bloggers have identified a warehouse in the town that served as the headquarters of the operation. The warehouse, rented for 350,000 rubles a month (equivalent to 1.5 million forints), was used by the Ukrainians to assemble drones and their launchers. Volodymyr Zelensky said the “office” was located next to the local FSB headquarters, but he did not provide details about the location.

Four hostile Russian air bases identified:

• Belaya airfield in the Irkutsk region, Siberia, more than 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine;
• Olenya airbase in the Arctic Circle, near Murmansk, 3,200 kilometers from Chelyabinsk;
• as well as Diaghilev airbase in the Ryazan region and a base near the city of Ivanovo, each about 1,600 kilometers from the “office”.

According to the Russian Interior Ministry, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Artem Timoshiev to coordinate Operation Spider Web. According to Russian sources, Timoshiev was born in the Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr, lived in Kiev, and then “a few years ago” moved to Chelyabinsk, where he worked as an “entrepreneur.” The Daily Mail wrote that Timoshiev, according to friends, did not hide his commitment to Ukraine, but according to other sources, he was a real “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Ukrainian drones attacked Russian drones like wasps

In the 48 hours leading up to the final strike, Ukrainian intelligence had demonstrated its ability to penetrate deeper into enemy territory, and Russia responded immediately. On Friday, Ukrainian forces struck multiple targets in Vladivostok, more than 11,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Russian border. On Saturday, at least seven people were killed after an explosion derailed a Moscow-bound train in the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine. In response, Russian forces carried out one of the largest drone strikes of the war, launching nearly 500 drone strikes in Ukraine overnight. On Sunday, a Russian missile hit Dnipropetrovsk, killing 12 soldiers, prompting the resignation of the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Mykhailo Drapatyy.

Artem Timosiyev may have tasked four truck drivers, unaware of the operation, with transporting structures that looked like simple timber-framed houses to various parts of Russia.

According to the SBU, the drones were hidden under the roofs of the small houses, and the vehicles transporting them, according to Russian sources, were all registered in Timosiyev’s name. One of the suspected transporters, 55-year-old Aleksandr Z., reportedly told investigators that he had received the order to transport “frame houses” to Murmansk from a businessman named Artem, who also provided the truck. Andrei M., 61, claims that he was sent to Irkutsk, Sergei, 46, to Ryazan, and a fourth suspected transporter was sent to Ivanovo by a person of the same name.

On Sunday, Russia celebrated Military Aviation Day. Alexander Z. said that on the way, an unknown person called him on his mobile phone and told him exactly where to stop. It was a Rosneft gas station near the Olenya air base. Andrei M. was instructed to park near the Teremok cafe in Usolye-Sibirskoye, near the Belaya base. According to the report, the drivers “barely stopped at the designated places, the world seemed to explode around them.” Sergei didn’t even manage to stop before his shipment practically exploded.

The SZBU said that the roofs of the truck trailers were opened by remote control and the drone swarms took off, traveling only a few hundred meters to their target.

The surprise was complete, and the Russian defense watched helplessly. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, 117 kamikaze drones participated in the attack, controlled by the same number of pilots. According to information, the SBU used Russia's mobile network to communicate with and control the large"quadcopter" drones, for which the devices needed Russian SIM cards or modems.

The drones destroyed 41 combat and reconnaissance aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers and Beriev A-50 reconnaissance aircraft, of which Russia now has fewer than 10.

“We will attack them at sea, in the air and on land,” the SBU said. “If necessary, we will also find them underground,” they added. They said that the individuals behind the independent Ukrainian action “have been in Ukraine for a long time,” so the Operation Spider Web may be a complete success. The Russian authorities are already searching for Artem Timosiyev with great force, his capture has become a priority, and a nationwide manhunt is underway against him in Russia.

Expert on the attack: It caused huge losses

"Yesterday's Ukrainian drone attack, similar to the Kursk operations or the attack on the Kerch bridge, is another serious blow to Moscow's prestige, but it is also very important from a strategic point of view. This is the first attack on Russia's Siberian territories, many thousands of kilometers from the front," foreign and security policy expert Anton Bendarzhevsky wrote on his social media page on Sunday.

The drones did not take off from Ukrainian territory, but from Russian territory, near the bases. The drones were first smuggled into Russia and then hidden in wooden boxes. The wooden boxes were loaded onto trucks and then remotely armed at the right moment. According to Kiev, 117 drones took part in the operation, which required 117 drone operators - they have already allegedly left Russian territory. The entire operation was planned for a year and a half. Among the destroyed aircraft are Tu-22 M3, Tu-95 and A-50

– the expert wrote, noting: “In addition to the undoubted reputational and motivational aspects, the Ukrainian attack is also very important from a strategic point of view, because the destroyed aircraft are products in large quantities, Russia currently produces almost no of them, and the restoration of the aircraft fleet could take several decades.”

Due to their intercontinental range and aerial refueling capability, strategic bombers can hit targets at any distance, including those on another continent, making them a versatile tool for destroying factories, power plants, transport infrastructure, and other critical facilities. Russia has, or rather has, about 60-70 of these aircraft in total, mainly Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft. The United States currently has 141 of this category (B-52H, B-1B, B-2A, B-21 Raider)

– stated Bendarzhevsky Anton.

“The Russians (Soviet) have been producing Tu-95s since 1981, but they have not produced new ones since the early 1990s, that is, for more than 30 years. The Tu-160s were in serial production since 1984, and then production ceased in the early 1990s. In addition to the Russian-Ukrainian war, Moscow tried to restart production, and in 2023-2024 they were able to produce 2-2 units. According to the plans, if everything goes well, they will be able to produce 3-4 units per year. Even if we divide the Ukrainian claims (41 destroyed Russian aircraft) by two or three, it is still clear that the attack caused huge losses,” stated the expert.

“The A-50, which is believed to have been destroyed, is in a similar situation: it is a long-range radar reconnaissance and control aircraft used for airspace surveillance, air coordination and air defense control. In 2024, Russia lost two of these aircraft due to two Ukrainian attacks, and by early 2025, they had five left. The A-50 has not been produced since 1993,” he added.