On June 1, 2025, Ukraine launched a bold and unprecedented drone offensive deep inside Russian territory— Operation Spider’s Web —targeting five military airbases, including one in Siberia, around 4,000 km from the frontlines. This meticulously planned operation, in the making for 18 months, involved over 100 first-person view (FPV) drones stealthily smuggled into Russia inside mobile wooden cabins hidden on trucks. These drones inflicted $7 billion in damage, destroying an estimated 41 strategic aircraft, including rare bombers.
Key highlights:
- The drones, launched remotely from inside Russia, bypassed traditional air defenses.
- Aircraft lost include A-50, Tu-22M3, and Tu-95 bombers—a major blow as many are no longer in production.
- The attacks were executed by Ukraine’s security agency, the SBU, with clever use of Russian mobile networks for remote control.
- Analysts believe this signals a paradigm shift in modern warfare, where small, low-cost drones can now strike with precision from within enemy borders, rendering traditional defenses vulnerable.
Experts compare this to a “Trojan Horse” moment, highlighting how easily containers or trucks could be used in future global conflicts to unleash drone swarms—even in places like India or the U.S. The operation challenges conventional battlefield tactics and underscores the urgent need for hardened aircraft shelters and rethinking of airbase defense strategies worldwide.
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