'Strike them at sea, in the air, and on the ground': Ukraine claims 34% of Russia's missile carriers destroyed

Ukraine’s security agency claimed a massive drone attack on June 1 which severely damaged Russia’s long-range air strike capabilities, causing an estimated $7 billion in destruction and disabling 34% of its cruise missile bombers.

Called “Spider Web,” the operation reportedly struck four key Russian airbases, targeting aircraft regularly used to launch missiles on Ukrainian cities. According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), over 40 aircraft were hit, including rare and heavily relied-on models like the A-50 surveillance plane, and the Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers.

The SBU said the plan was in the works for more than 18 months and involved transporting first-person-view (FPV) drones deep into Russian territory. These drones were hidden inside trucks before being deployed in coordinated attacks on airbases in Irkutsk, Murmansk, Ryazan and Ivanovo oblasts.

A source from the SBU told The Kyiv Independent that the Belaya airbase in Irkutsk, over 4,000 kilometres from Ukraine, was among the targets, highlighting the unprecedented range and ambition of the operation.

The Tu-95, one of the aircraft reportedly hit, dates back to the Soviet era and was originally designed to carry nuclear bombs. It has since been adapted to fire cruise missiles, including the modern Kh-101 and Kh-102, with each aircraft capable of carrying up to 16 such missiles.

The SBU shared a defiant message following the attack, quoting iconic Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko, “And you thought Ukraine was easy? Ukraine is exceptional. Ukraine is unique. All the steamrollers of history have rolled over it. It has withstood every kind of trial. It is tempered by the highest degree. In today’s world, its value is beyond measure.”

The agency vowed to keep pushing back Russian forces by any means necessary, “We will strike them (Russia) at sea, in the air, and on the ground. And if needed, we’ll get them from underground too.”

The strike came as Russia escalated its own attacks. On May 26, it launched what Ukraine says was the largest drone offensive of the full-scale war, using 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys in a single night – an assault seen by many as an attempt to gain leverage amid US-backed ceasefire talks.

The SBU says more details about the June 1 operation will be released in due course.