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Russia arrests truck driver allegedly transporting drones for Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb

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Russia arrests truck driver allegedly transporting drones for Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb
A Ukrainian drone taking off from a truck in Russia during an attack on Russian air bases on June 1, 2025. (The Security Service of Ukraine)

Mikhail Ryumin, a 55-year-old resident of the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, was arrested for allegedly transporting drones in a truck for Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb, Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported on July 10, citing a court's appeal ruling.

Ukraine carried out an unprecedented mass drone strike as part of the Operation Spiderweb on June 1, targeting four Russian air bases deep inside the country. During the attack, Ukrainian forces reportedly damaged 41 aircraft, using drones concealed in trucks at multiple locations across Russia.

Ryumin was charged with committing a terrorist act and arrested on June 2. On June 26, the Ivanovo Regional Court upheld the decision to arrest him.

A colleague of Ryumin confirmed to Mediazona, on condition of anonymity, that he was indeed the driver of one of the trucks used in the Ukrainian operation. The source insisted that Ryumin was unaware that the vehicle was carrying drones hidden beneath the roofs of the frame house structures.

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Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent))

According to the source, Ryumin had recently switched jobs and accepted a delivery order to transport components for frame houses from Chelyabinsk to Ivanovo Oblast using a rented truck.

Western analysts and military officials praised Ukraine's ingenuity in the Spiderweb operation. NATO Admiral Pierre Vandier called the mission a modern reinvention of the "Trojan Horse," demonstrating Ukraine's growing technical sophistication and deep-strike capability.

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that roughly half of the targeted aircraft are damaged beyond repair.

Russia has acknowledged losses but insisted all damaged aircraft will be restored.

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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