Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on June 4 released a new footage from its Operation Spiderweb, showing targeted strikes on Russian strategic aircraft across multiple airfields.
On June 1, the SBU conducted an operation using first-person-view (FPV) drones that were smuggled deep inside Russia and concealed in trucks, successfully striking 41 Russian heavy bombers and causing an estimated $7 billion in damage.
The attacks rendered a significant number of aircraft irreparable, with others expected to take years to restore. The strikes targeted four key airfields—Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya—used by Russian strategic aviation involved in bombing Ukrainian cities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and SBU Chief Vasyl Malyuk personally oversaw the operation.
On the evening of June 1, Zelensky described the operation as "brilliant," adding that Russia suffered "significant losses — entirely justified and deserved."
The operation damaged or destroyed a range of aircraft, including A-50 surveillance planes, Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 bombers, as well as An-12 and Il-78 transport and refueling aircraft.
Zelensky said Ukraine would not have carried out its drone strikes on Russian strategic bombers if Russia had agreed to a ceasefire. Speaking at a June 4 meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky linked the operation to Moscow’s rejection of a truce.
Kyiv has consistently pushed for a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as an initial step toward a broader peace agreement. However, during the latest round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, Russia once again declined the proposal.
"If there had been a ceasefire, would the operation have taken place? No," Zelensky said, referring to the drone attack.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
