Ukrainian drones destroyed 15 Russian military aircraft, reportedly worth more than $1billion in Operation Spiderweb. Russian airfields deep behind the front lines were targeted.
Ukraine did not reveal the date of the strike that took place across five different military bases. The news of the operation comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches the four-year mark. The conflict has failed to be resolved, leaving millions homeless and affecting the daily lives of Ukrainians. Ukraine’s spy service, the SBU, claims its top Alpha unit wiped out 11 Sukhoi and MiG fighter jets, three helicopters and an Antonov An-26 cargo plane. These include Su-30SM and Su-34 jets, and the older Su-27 and Su-24 planes. MiG-31 interceptors, a key part of Russia’s air defence system, were also destroyed in the attack. These interceptors are used to launch hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. Russia’s transport and logistics capabilities also took a hit with the destruction of a Mi-8, a Mi-26 and a Mi-28, according to the Security Service of Ukraine. The Alpha unit had previously destroyed or disabled missile launchers and advanced radar systems worth an estimated $4billion.
Operation Spiderweb 2025
Another Operation Spiderweb was carried out last year, in which hundreds of first-person view (FPV) attack drones destroyed bombers on the ground. They were smuggled into Russia by lorry drivers who weren’t aware that the modular homes they were carrying were actually wooden containers. After they parked the lorries near strategic airbases, the roofs opened remotely, unleashing the drones. Daily Mail quoted sources inside Ukraine’s SBU security service as saying that the operation crippled 34 per cent of Russia’s long-range strategic bombers, including the nuclear-capable Tu-95s and Tu-22M3s.
Russia hits Ukraine’s energy system
Meanwhile, Russia struck Ukraine’s power grids, affecting power supply, leaving residents shivering in bone-chilling cold. A senior Ukrainian lawmaker said that the next three weeks will be extremely difficult after people were cut off from heat and light. More Russian strikes in the past few days were reported from Black Sea port of Odesa that left 22 people injured. Three people were killed, and 25 others were injured in an attack on a building in Odesa.