'Not destroyed but damaged' — Russia claims it will repair bombers struck in Operation Spiderweb
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov claimed on June 5 that Russian bombers damaged during Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb will be "restored," adding that the planes were not completely destroyed in the attack.
"The equipment in question, as was also stated by representatives of the Defense Ministry, was not destroyed but damaged. It will be restored," Ryabkov told Russian-state media outlet TASS.
Ukraine on June 1 launched a game-changing drone attack on four key Russian military airfields, damaging 41 planes, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes. Kyiv has claimed it had disabled 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet in what is seen as one of the most daring operations during the full-scale war.
The operation, dubbed Spiderweb, took 18 months to plan and was overseen directly by President Volodymyr Zelensky and carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU said 117 drones, launched from concealed trucks positioned across Russian territory, simultaneously struck airfields in at least four regions — including sites thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters on June 4 that Ukraine struck as many as 20 Russian military aircraft during Operation Spiderweb, destroying around 10 of them — a claim that stands in contrast with the SBU's estimates.
Independent confirmation of the damage caused is so far limited to satellite images of Belaya air base, which appear to confirm the destruction of at least three Tu-95MS strategic bombers and one Tu-22M3 aircraft, with an additional Tu-95MS visibly damaged.
Another image shows two more likely destroyed Tu-22M3 bombers on the field.
Ryabkov did not specify a timeline as to how quickly the country can allegedly repair the damaged aircraft. In addition to supply-chain challenges brought upon economic sanctions, Russia would also likely face challenges due to the complexities of Soviet-era technology present in the aircraft, if it were to attempt to restore the bombers.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 4 that roughly half of the planes damaged will be impossible to repair, while others will require significant time to be put back into service.
During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Putin vowed that Moscow "will have to respond" to the attack.
Russian officials have made few public acknowledgements of the attack. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 5 that Moscow will respond when and how the military deems necessary.
Dmytro Basmat
