(Kyiv) – Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has carried out a bold and sophisticated drone attack that destroyed or damaged over 40 Russian strategic bombers at airbases far from the frontline. The operation, known as “Web,” targeted four Russian airfields simultaneously, hitting Belaya in Siberia, Diaghilevo in Ryazan, Olenya in Murmansk, and Ivanovo, hundreds of miles inside Russian territory.
The strikes took Russia’s forces completely by surprise, causing huge fires and explosions widely shared on social media. Among the aircraft hit were the Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, which Moscow uses regularly in air raids against Ukrainian cities. A rare A-50 airborne early warning plane, crucial for Russian battlefield surveillance, was also reported damaged.
Ukrainian intelligence described the attack as a major covert success and a turning point in the conflict. A senior SBU official said that Russia’s sense of impunity had been shattered by the operation.
Footage from the strikes shows drones approaching targets from trucks parked near the airbases, an innovative tactic involving smuggling drones hidden in wooden cabins mounted on vehicles. These roofs opened remotely to release the drones, catching the Russian military off guard.
SBU chief Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk was heard in a video praising the mission’s success, using the Ukrainian term “bavovna” to describe the blasts, a slang word meaning explosions in enemy or occupied areas.
