Situation Report: Operation Spider Web —Ukraine's Great Raid
Ukraine deals a serious blow to Russia's strategic bomber force in a series of daring long-range attacks a day before both sides resume negotiations in Istanbul
On June 1, 2025, Ukraine launched “Operation Spider Web” a complex series of drone attacks orchestrated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) targeting multiple air bases across Russia. While battle damage is still being collected and assessed, early estimates based on drone footage of the attacks and satellite imagery, suggest as many as 40 Russian military aircraft were damaged or destroyed, including many strategic bombers. The attacks come one day before negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are set to resume in Istanbul.
Operational Details:
Overview
“Operation Spider Web” targeted four Russian airbases known to host Russian strategic bombers. The SBU announced that it had spent a full year and a half planning and preparing for the attack. Each attack was conducted by hundreds of small first person view (FPV) drones, which were smuggled into the country in home building supplies, including specially designed cabinets.
The specially made cabinets were loaded onto flatbed trucks and moved near the air bases prior to the attack. The attacks were synchronized, with drones released remotely to swarm their targets.
Targets
Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk Oblast, Siberia (4,000 km from frontline)
Olenya Air Base in Murmansk Oblast in the Russian Arctic.
Dyagilevo Air Base in Ryazan Oblast
Ivanovo Air Base in Ivanovo Oblast
Battle Damage
Ukraine’s SBU claims as many as 41 aircraft were destroyed in the attacks, including multiple Tu-95 strategic bombers and Tu-22M3 intermediate-range bombers and one A-50 Airborne Early Warning and Control Plane.
Footage of attack on Olenya Air Base:
Source: Ukriform on Telegram
Footage of attack on Belaya Air Base:
Source: Ukriform on Telegram
Implications:
Ukraine bolsters its negotiating position ahead of June 2 talks
The spectacular attacks come one day before the resumption of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on June 2. Operation Spider Web follows May 30 attacks on a Russian naval base in Desantnaya Bay near Vladivostok, 7,000 km from the frontlines. This series of attacks highlights the growing sophistication of Ukraine’s long-range strike capability. They strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position by threatening a erosion of Russia’s broader strategic power and national interests the longer the war progresses.
The attacks kneecap Russia’s strategic bomber force
If early estimates are true, that 40 Russian bombers and support aircraft were damaged or destroyed in the attack, Russia’s strategic bomber forces would be significantly diminished. Russia has used Tu-95 bombers to launch missile attacks on Ukrainian cities throughout the war, including in last week’s massive air assault.
More significantly, the Tu-95 makes up the core of the air leg of Russia’s nuclear triad. Videos of the attacks (see above) show multiple Tu-95 bombers being struck and burning. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ recently released 2025 assessment of Russia’s nuclear weapons suggests that Russia has only a total of 67 operationally ready strategic bombers in its entire inventory (both Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers). Damage to dozen’s of Tu-95 aircraft would seriously degrade Russia’s ability to maintain a credible airborne nuclear deterrent and would be a major setback for Russia’s nuclear modernization.
The destruction of yet another of Russia’s A-50 airborne early warning and control systems is also major blow to the Russian air force. It would be the third time Ukraine has destroyed an A-50, representing half of Russia’s operationally ready inventory of the aircraft. A-50s are used to coordinate complex air to air missions and air strikes. Each A-50 costs approximately $350M to produce.