Ukraine Launches Operation Spiderweb Targeting Russian Airbases

Ukraine Launches Operation Spiderweb Targeting Russian Airbases

Over the past week, Ukraine has accelerated its counter-offensive in the war against Russia. They recently announced Operation Spiderweb, a focused attack that uses drones to systematically destroy Russian airbases. This operation is another big step in a larger change in Ukraine’s strategic approach. Specifically, it directly targets Russian aviation capabilities that have been key in launching strikes deep into Ukrainian territory.

By any measure, Operation Spiderweb started big, with the initial deployment of 117 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These drones flew out of cargo containers located near the targeted airbases. Ukrainian forces successfully targeted at least four Russian airbases, employing a coordinated drone strike that has raised concerns in the Kremlin regarding the security of its military assets.

After the op was executed, satellite imagery was able to show significant damage to Russian air power. Photos taken immediately after the attacks show widespread destruction. Multiple Tu-22M3 and Tu-95 models were rendered inoperative at various airfields by precision strikes. Russian SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imagery of the Irkutsk airbase captured a near apocalyptic landscape. Wreckage from a range of different aircraft littered the runway and packed the protective revetments around the base.

Even the Belaya military airbase took heavy losses. So far, unconfirmed reports indicate that at least four heavy Tu-95 bombers were destroyed or heavily crippled in the costly operation. Aerial images and video shared on social media platforms corroborate the evidence of destructive impacts. To be fair, this does all speak to how successful Ukraine’s drone warfare strategy has been.

Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence analyst, acknowledged the impact of the operation, noting that “the SAR imagery showed several Tu-95s and Tu-22s had been destroyed and damaged.” Meanwhile, John Ford, a research associate, emphasized the findings from satellite imagery, stating that they appeared to show “the remnants of two destroyed Tu-22 Backfires.”

This high-stakes, long-range military operation was personally supervised by Lt Gen Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). He disclosed that it was the culmination of an overall strategy, which featured a September strike on the Kerch Bridge – an important supply line for Russia. The bridge support had been hit by a powerful underwater blast equal to more than a metric ton of TNT. This bridge is what connects the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia.

Lt Gen Maliuk described the bridge as “an absolutely legitimate target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops.” He underlined Ukraine’s determination to respond sternly to any signs of occupation, and then definitively stated that “Crimea is Ukraine.”

The ongoing conflict has seen fluctuating dynamics as both sides engage in military maneuvers aimed at gaining territorial advantage. Recently Andriy Yermak, head of international affairs for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was playing “good cop, bad cop” with its negotiations. He stated that “[Russia is] playing for time, manipulating the talks, trying to avoid US sanctions and not wanting a ceasefire.”

As President Zelenskyy has further highlighted, it is essential to understand Russia’s strategic motivations given the broader context of this war. He remarked that this situation encapsulates “all you need to know about Russia’s ‘desire’ to end this war.”

The recent attacks represent not only a dramatic increase in military payback attacks by Ukraine, but a marked increase in attacks directed against Russian territory. Both countries are wading through a dangerous, complicated war. Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb is already creating substantial changes on the ground.

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