The Ukrainian military, in cooperation with the country’s intelligence service SBU, has carried out one of the most extensive attacks to date against Russian air bases. The target is said to have been to knock out Russia’s strategic bombers – aircraft that have played a central role in recent months’ missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
According to several corroborating reports, at least five military airfields deep inside Russia were attacked during the night of Saturday. The operation, which according to unconfirmed sources went under the code name “Spider’s Web”, is said to have been planned for over a year.
Among the bases attacked are Olenya on the Kola Peninsula near Murmansk, Ukrainka in the Amur region of the Russian Far East, and facilities in Irkutsk, Ivanovo, and Ryazan. According to information in the international press, the attacks were carried out using drones that were smuggled into Russia and hidden in civilian transport vehicles near the respective air bases.
Ukrainian authorities claim that over 40 Russian bombers were hit or damaged, including heavy strategic aircraft of the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 types, as well as a Beriev A-50 radar reconnaissance aircraft.
Images and videos circulating on social media show what appear to be several destroyed aircraft and extensive fires at Russian bases, including Olenya, over 1,500 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian territory.
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that several bases were attacked but says most of the drones were shot down and the damage was limited.
Extent unclear
No independent confirmation of either the Ukrainian or Russian reports has been presented so far, but several defense experts in the West describe the attack as the largest single offensive against the Russian Air Force since the war began in 2022.
The extent of the damage is still unclear, but according to reports in the Kyiv Post, among others, entire hangars have been destroyed and the damage could amount to several billion dollars.
For Russia, this would mean a significant weakening of its ability to carry out long-range attacks against Ukrainian targets, as the aircraft types involved are difficult to replace in the short term.
Several analysts also point to the psychological and symbolic value of the attack. The strategic bombers not only play a conventional role in the war, but are also important in the logistics of the nuclear arsenal. The damage is therefore seen as a loss of prestige for Moscow.
Some analysts also interpret the attack as a deliberate show of force by Kiev ahead of the planned peace talks in Istanbul, which, according to Russian and Turkish media, are set to begin on Monday.
Railway sabotage with civilian casualties
At the same time, two separate acts of railway sabotage have been reported from Russian territory. One of them, in the Republic of Bashkortostan, led to derailment and several deaths. The other occurred in the Kirov region.
Explosive devices are said to have detonated on the tracks shortly before military transports passed by. Although the connection with the airbase attack has not yet been confirmed, several military analysts consider the events to be coordinated.
The attack has also brought to light a legal complication in the START treaty between Russia and the US, which is still in force. Under the terms of the agreement, strategic bombers must be visible to satellite surveillance, which makes it difficult to hide them in protected hangars, something that may have facilitated the Ukrainian drone attacks.
The fact that Ukraine managed to strike with such precision and range – deep into Russian heartland – also raises questions about how the country’s military capabilities have developed and what help it has received from Western intelligence services.
