OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:15 AM – Sunday, June 1, 2025
The Ukrainian military carried out a large-scale attack against Russian military aircraft, reportedly utilizing smuggled drones to attack deep within Russian territory, according to a Kyiv official.
The Ukrainian attack, dubbed “Operation Spider’s Web” took around 18 months to plan, and successfully hit 41 Russian heavy bombers at four separate airfields, according to a Ukrainian official speaking with the Kyiv Independent.
The operation was carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) utilizing first-person-view (FPV) drones armed with bombs to attack Russian aircraft thousands of miles away from Ukraine.
“The SBU first transported FPV drones to Russia, and later, on the territory of the Russian Federation, the drones were hidden under the roofs of mobile wooden cabinets, already placed on trucks,” stated an anonymous SBU official speaking with the outlet. “At the right moment, the roofs of the cabins were opened remotely, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers.”
The TU-95 “Bear” nuclear bombers, TU-22 “Backfire” strike bombers, and an A-50 “Mainstay” command-and-control jet were reportedly some of the vital Russian aircraft destroyed in the attack.
The A-50 has been particularly important for Russia, as it “detects air defense systems, guided missiles, and coordinating targets for Russian fighter jets,” according to the Kyiv independent.
The Russian military reportedly possesses less than ten A-50 planes and costs roughly $350 million.
One of the attacks took place in the Irkutsk region of Serbia, roughly 2,500 miles away from Ukraine, well out of range for Ukraine’s missiles.
The attack deep within Russian territory marks a major win for Ukraine as Kyiv has struggled to strike back against Russian bombers punishing Ukrainian infrastructure.
The attack follows after the United States has pushed the two nations to convene for peace talks, although Ukraine has accused Russia of stalling negotiations to advance its military agenda.
“For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared,” Zelensky wrote in a Friday X post. “Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results.”
The method of destroying hundreds of millions of dollars in military aircraft with inexpensive FPV drones has raised concerns that American aircraft could be targeted in a similar manner.
“For over a decade I have outlined the exact scenario as we just saw in Russia. It could happen in the U.S. tomorrow. This was a pivotal event. U.S. military and political leadership cannot live in partial denial of this threat anymore. Our most prized aircraft are sitting ducks,” stated Tyler Rogoway, a military strategy observer.
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