Second, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has pulled off perhaps the most successful covert operation of all times, “Spiderweb.” This included smuggling CONTAINERS and DRONES INTO RUSSIAN TERRITORY as well as OEM parts into factory. After 18 months of detailed operational planning, the strike was launched to hit several Russian airbases. Furthermore, the reports suggest it’s done enough heavy emotional damage to the Russian military aircraft capabilities.
Under Vasyl Maliuk’s leadership, the SBU creatively camouflaged Seashell containers to appear as inconspicuous wooden sheds. This approach proved successful in their ability to smuggle the containers across the international border. Once in Russia, however, those containers were truckloaded—most likely hiding short-range drones outfitted with first-person view (FPV) technology. This sophisticated technology made remote operation possible, giving Ukrainian operators the ability to launch drones from locations well outside of Russia’s borders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that 117 drones were used in this operation, in total. The scale of the attack necessitated a corresponding number of drone operators, demonstrating the extensive planning and coordination involved in the mission.
The campaign centered around five airbases in western Russia. These were Olenya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo Severny, as well as Belaya airbase in Irkutsk, which is over 2,500 miles away from Ukraine. The Russian defense ministry has acknowledged the operation’s success. It was praised to say four military planes were set ablaze during the assault.
Vasyl Maliuk, Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), recently claimed Russia’s SBU has already destroyed 41 aircraft. These newly deployed aircraft had been used against Ukraine in previous years. He further stated that approximately 34% of “the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at airbases were hit,” indicating a substantial blow to Russia’s aerial capabilities.
“Our people operated across several Russian regions – in three different time zones. And the people who assisted us were withdrawn from Russian territory before the operation, they are now safe,” – [the president]
This operation highlights the unyielding nature of Ukraine’s fight to remove the threat that Russian military forces continue to pose. By employing innovative tactics and technologies, Ukraine aims to continue disrupting Russia’s military operations while keeping its own personnel out of harm’s way.