Ukrainian intelligence operatives have conducted an extensive aerial campaign targeting Russian military aviation facilities, inflicting substantial damage on Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet through coordinated unmanned aircraft operations spanning nearly 2,000 miles from Ukraine’s borders.
Video: Raw footage of Drone Attack
The comprehensive assault, internally referred to by Ukrainian forces as Operation “Pavutina” (meaning spider web), successfully compromised multiple high-value military installations across Russian territory. Intelligence sources indicate that more than four dozen aircraft sustained varying degrees of damage, with complete destruction reported for numerous platforms including early warning aircraft, intercontinental bombers, and medium-range strike aircraft.
Regional officials have acknowledged the attacks while providing limited public information. In Irkutsk Oblast, local authorities confirmed explosive incidents at military facilities near Sredny village, though specific details regarding aircraft losses remain classified. The targeted Belaya installation houses Russia’s premier strategic aviation assets, including supersonic variable-geometry bombers and turboprop-powered intercontinental platforms.
Multiple Russian air installations experienced simultaneous or coordinated strikes, including facilities in Murmansk Oblast, Ivanovo region, and Diaghilevo base. Social media channels documented extensive fires at northern installations, with regional leadership confirming defensive actions against incoming unmanned systems while declining to specify operational impacts.
Ukrainian security officials describe the operation as retaliation against aircraft regularly conducting bombardment missions over Ukrainian population centers. Senior intelligence leadership characterized the campaign as an ongoing effort to neutralize Russian aviation assets conducting strategic strikes from rear-area positions.
Financial assessments suggest the operation inflicted monetary losses exceeding two billion dollars, representing a significant degradation of Russian air power projection capabilities. Technical specifications of the unmanned systems remain undisclosed, though speculation centers on first-person-view platforms potentially deployed from ground-based launch positions near target areas.
Ukraine’s previous announcements regarding extended-range unmanned capabilities, including systems with operational ranges approaching 1,900 miles, demonstrate the country’s advancing technological capacity for deep-strike operations, though direct connections to this specific campaign remain unverified.
The targeting of airborne early warning platforms represents a strategic priority, as these aircraft provide critical surveillance coverage, weapons guidance, and coordination functions for Russian air operations. Their neutralization significantly impacts Moscow’s ability to maintain air superiority and conduct precision strikes.
Video: Youtube – Hindustan Times
This operation marks one of the most significant Ukrainian intelligence successes in terms of geographic scope and strategic impact, potentially reshaping the conflict’s aerial dimension. Military analysts anticipate additional damage assessments may reveal even more extensive losses to Russian aviation capabilities.
Moscow’s defense ministry has not issued official statements regarding the attacks, though the strategic implications continue to influence ongoing military operations throughout the region.
