Mon Jun 02 08:22:39 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
Ukrainian secret services, the SBU, conducted a daring and innovative drone attack on four Russian air bases on June 1, 2025, using drones hidden inside the roofs of wooden sheds transported near the targets. The SBU claimed 41 Russian warplanes were hit, causing an estimated $7 billion in damage. President Zelenskyy lauded the operation, which took over a year and a half to prepare, as a major success achieved independently. The attack, which targeted strategic bombers including those at the Belaya air base in Siberia, marks the deepest strike into Russian territory by Ukraine thus far.
**News Article:**
**Ukraine Strikes Russian Airbases with Innovative Drone Attack, Claims Billions in Damage**
**Kyiv, Ukraine – June 2, 2025** – Ukrainian intelligence agencies launched a sophisticated and long-planned drone assault on four Russian air bases on Sunday, June 1st, 2025, resulting in significant damage and sparking concerns about Moscow’s air defense capabilities.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the operation, codenamed “Spider’s Web,” which involved concealing explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds. These sheds were then transported to the perimeter of the targeted air bases, where a remotely-activated mechanism released the drones for their attack.
According to a Ukrainian security official, the strikes hit 41 Russian warplanes, causing an estimated $7 billion in damages. The SBU further stated that 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at key Russian airfields were impacted.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the operation as a “brilliant outcome” achieved independently by Ukraine after over a year and a half of planning. He noted that 117 drones were used in the attacks, resulting in “tangible losses” for Russian forces.
The targeted air bases included the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, marking the deepest strike into Russian territory by Ukraine since the start of the conflict. The Belaya base is known to house Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic long-range strategic bombers, aircraft used to launch missiles against Ukrainian targets.
Unverified videos circulating on Russian social media showed fires at the Belaya air base. Local officials confirmed a drone attack on a military unit near the base but did not specify the target.
The attack highlights Ukraine’s ingenuity in adapting its military strategy and raises questions about Russia’s ability to defend its critical military infrastructure. The SBU claimed to have set up a nerve center for the operation next to a regional office of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), demonstrating the depth of Ukrainian intelligence gathering and operational planning.
The operation was reportedly overseen personally by President Zelenskyy and Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the SBU, underscoring the strategic importance of the attack in Ukraine’s ongoing defense efforts. If confirmed, the strikes would be the most damaging Ukrainian drone attack of the war and would be a significant setback for Moscow.
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