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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday praised a drone strike on Russian strategic bomber jets, calling the operation “brilliant” and “achieved solely by Ukraine.”
“Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk delivered a report regarding today’s operation. An absolutely brilliant result. A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
He said 117 drones were used in the operation, with a corresponding number of drone operators involved. “Thirty-four percent of the strategic cruise missile carriers at the airfields were hit,” Zelenskyy added.
The president described the strike as Ukraine’s “longest-range operation” and said those involved in its preparation were “withdrawn from Russian territory on time.” He instructed the Security Service to release details and outcomes of the operation that can be made public but noted not all information could be disclosed at this time..
“Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so — we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war. Russia started this war; Russia must end it,” Zelenskyy said.
Earlier Sunday, Ukraine’s military launched a “large-scale” attack on Russia. State media in Kyiv claimed more than 40 Russian strategic bombers were destroyed in strikes across multiple regions, including the Siberian region of Irkutsk, which is more than 4,000 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Two regional governors confirmed the Ukrainian attack. The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement Sunday claiming the attacks on three bases failed, although some aircraft at other airfields caught fire and were extinguished.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said its forces destroyed 34% of Russian strategic bombers capable of carrying cruise missiles during attacks on military air bases inside Russia. The SBU said Ukrainian forces targeted Russian military airfields with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The operation, code-named “Spider Web,” caused an estimated $7 billion in damage to Russia’s strategic aviation, according to the SBU.
The attack targeted four airfields simultaneously: Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya, the SBU said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the attacks targeted airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. It said attacks on airfields in Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur were repulsed.
The “Spider Web” operation required more than a year and a half of preparation and complex logistics, including smuggling drones into Russian territory. According to the Ukrainian security service, drones were hidden in wooden structures installed on trucks. These structures had remotely operated roofs, allowing the drones to fly toward their targets once inside Russia.
Photos shared by the SBU showed numerous small black drones hidden in what appeared to be transport containers.
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the drones were not launched from Ukrainian territory but “in the immediate vicinity of the airbases.”
The consequences of the attacks on Russia’s military capabilities remain unclear. Ukraine has faced nearly daily Russian air attacks that have strained its air defense in recent weeks.
Russian military bloggers called the attack a “black day for aviation.” Rybar, a Telegram account close to the Russian military, described the strike as a “very heavy blow” and highlighted “serious errors” by Russian intelligence.
The operation holds symbolic significance for Ukraine, whose forces have suffered setbacks on the battlefield. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, now in opposition, said the strike provided “no better arguments” for Ukraine ahead of talks with Moscow in Istanbul.
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