"Spider’s Web drone strike burns over 40 Russian warplanes" Topic

Operation Spider's Web used hidden drones in trucks to hit bombers deep inside Russia in a mission overseen by Zelenskyy

Fox News: link

I've said many times that this war rewrites any preconceived rules for modern warfare that were written prior to.

Thats becoming the "natural state" for Russian aircraft … burning !! :)

russian air defence consisted of civilians climbing into the trucks to pull off the drone blades.

Epic fail! Very creative. Although in reality I saw no more than a dozen damaged planes on video and space images. Two trucks with Ukrainian drones Russians managed to destroy them before they attacked.
The fact that Russian drivers on the road risked their lives to stop a drone attack on a military airfield says something about people's attitudes toward the war in Ukraine.
But I'm scared to think that now any objects in any country can be attacked by a swarm of drones. Not only by some states, but even by terrorists or even criminal gangs. Drones can be in cars, containers, boxes, suitcases… Everywhere. And I'm not sure that anyone has effective protection against such an attack.

Very successful deep strike in my opinion.

Satellite images showing three TU 95ms destroyed with a fourth damaged. Four TU 22m destroyed or heavily damaged.

Not clear to me yet if that was one airfield and if there are additional images to come or not.

Obviously, zelensky and his handlers have no desire to end the killing and this escalation will have unintended consequences.

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Stone it is always a possibility, as some of us have pointed out previously, especially the longer this draws out.

It was a well planned attack and kudos for their ability to pull it off.

But… strategic nuclear capable bombers?? It would have seemed other targets that would have made a difference on the Ukrainian front lines and behind the lines, would have been much more apropos and militarily logical targets.

To me, it seems like a very strange target of less benefit…. Unless. 🤔

StoneMtnMinis,

Putin can end the war any day he likes by leaving Ukraine and the occupied territories. He lost on the first day of the invasion in 2014, the boy just isn't sharp enough to have figured it out.

The Russians were using the TU-95's as cruise missile carriers to launch on Ukraine from deep in Russian airspace. They were legit target's actively engaged against Ukraine.

Hopefully a cease fire can take hold but Russian initial demands are not realistic.

"But… strategic nuclear capable bombers?? It would have seemed other targets that would have made a difference on the Ukrainian front lines and behind the lines, would have been much more apropos and militarily logical targets."

These bombers bomb Ukrainian civilians long time, almost every night. So very logical targets.
And as Ukrainians say, they don't target Russian nuclear submarines, yet, as these don't kill Ukrainian civilians yet.

I still believe with this much planning and surprise, there had to be more strategic targets to hit that would have made a difference on the front lines.

Amazing operation. I am concerned, however, with the fact that the attack targeted aircraft that must be stored in the open by treaty. I fear that the attack may have drawn us all closer to a WW III scenario. Perhaps that is why Ukraine did not warn its allies. If Brother Vlad thinks that his nuclear deterrent is being degraded, he is likely to act to protect his assets. That may be as simple as putting his big bombers under cover, in violation of treaty obligations, or he may decide that he has to use those assets, as originally designed, before he loses more. I do not want to even consider a resort to nuclear weapons, however, I would never have thought that Putin would have invaded a neighbor, without massive provocation. A neighbor that was closely in the West's orbit to begin with. What did he expect would happen? He has managed to force NATO's influence closer to Russia's border, compelled European rearmament and has politically and economically isolated Russia, even more than it was. Even if the war ended today, I doubt that the West will be lulled into trusting the good intentions of Russia in the near to middle future. I suspect that if Ukraine were lost, the West would be building the next iron curtain from the North Cape to the Med in anticipation of further Russia aggression. So, billions in treasure expended, billions (trillions) in income lost and a declining population decimated, for what? Putin may be playing some super-long game, however, I don't see it.

As an aside, what is with the tires on the top of bomber wings?

"As an aside, what is with the tires on the top of bomber wings?"

🤔 Pilot inner ear issues? They Cant tell up from down when landing? In case you get a flat in the air? The bombers are about to be "retired"? 😉

As an aside, what is with the tires on the top of bomber wings?

"The tire placement strategy, first observed at Engels-2 airbase, aims to confuse drone computer vision systems."

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Year Later, Pentagon Explains What's the Point of Aircraft Drawings and Tire Coatings at russian Military Airfields

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I guess Zelensky did have cards still to play, then.

<q.I guess Zelensky did have cards still to play, then.

You mean the "cut off my nose to spite my face" card?

"Obviously, Putin has no desire to end the killing"

There Stone Mountain, changed it for you,

Tally Ho!

American "conservatives" taking the side of Commie KGB heads. 🤷
Reagan would be ashamed of you.
Naughty naughty!

John 🤔 wrong.

I read nowhere in here, anyone lauding Putin.

I mean one might just as easily say all Democrats are Hamas loving, anti Semites. It would be just as untrue.

"I guess Zelensky did have cards still to play, then."

He just hopes they aren't aces and eights. 😉

Yes this op just goes to show what better leaders and troops the Ukraine have vs the Russian Paper Little Bear …

I agree Putin could stop the war anytime. They are the attackers. Zelinsky and his military leaders have to continue to "think out of the box". While Putin and his military only know how to fight a war of attrition, bordering on WWI. For 3 years now the lines have changed little. Again the Russians have taken huge losses for very gains.

John I don't know where you come up with some of this stuff …

He just hopes they aren't aces and eights.

Aces & 8s, the Deadman's hand. I.e. Wild Bill Hickock …

IMO Putin has painted himself in a corner with the huge losses and few territorial gains … He is buying for times. While the bodies stack up …

I really think at this point the US and NATO should do a full court press to supply, support, sanctions, etc. As it is to the US & and the rest of NATO's advantage to have Ukraine attrite the Russians as much as possible.

Putin sees all the damage done by the previous POTUS, his admin, many in Congress, the US media, etc. He probably sees the US is having another civil war. As some try to blunt everything this POTUS tries to do.

I have seen reporting that Russia had 118 strategic bombers before the strike. 15 were said to be Tu-160, the rest a mix of Tu-95 & Tu-22M3. All are nuclear capable long-range platforms, part of Russia's "nuclear triad" to use the Western term. The Tu-95 were used to launch cruise missiles against Ukraine, the Tu-22M3 launched the faster missiles, including "hypersonics".

I have seen claims for 40 or 41 strategic bombers destroyed in the strike, all Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 types, plus an A-50U AWACS. I've seen footage of three Tu-95s burning next to an intact transport. Begs the question if all 40 (or 41) "bombers" were actually bombers, or were there some tankers or transports in that total?

Depending on the source, there were either six or nine A-50U converted altogether, Ukraine having already destroyed three of those. Yesterday would make four.

So my question is, how many of each type were destroyed, and how many are left? Tricky question, as older obsolete airframes of each type are certainly in storage somewhere and can be brough back into service, even if they are not up to current standards. Has anyone seen any reporting on the actual numbers?

In fact, there is confirmation of 8 destroyed or significantly confirmed aircraft (one of them is the old transport. To get satellite pictures of airbase is not a problem, and all the planes stood under the open air according to agreements concluded with NATO.

anhor.uz/world/pautina

Ukrainians intended to attack five strategic aviation bases:
- "Belaya" in the Irkutsk region;
- "Oleniya"" in the Murmansk region;
- "Ukrainka" in the Amur region (the attack broke, a truck with drones burned down on the road);
- "Diaghilevo" in the Ryazan region (the attack is reflected by air defense systems);
- "Ivanovo" in the Ivanovo region (the air defense explosions and work was reported, obviously, the attack is reflected).

Successfully the attack took place on the first two bases. On the third – the truck was destroyed before the start of the attack. The attack on the last two was reflected by the air defense systems, there are no confirmed losses at these bases yet.

According to confirmed data, 8 aircraft were destroyed:

- 5 units Tu-95ms;
- 2 units Tu-22M3;
- 1 military transport An-12

In addition, Ukrainian saboteurs attacked three bridges in the regions adjacent to the front line. In one of the cases, the bridge was blown up at the time of the passenger train under it. There was a railway disaster. The bridge collapsed onto the train. 7 people died, 104 passengers were injured.
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No expert, some observations I have heard make sense.

Aren't these some of the aircraft delivering glide bombs? Reduction anywhere means reshuffling to maintain threats.

Tankers are required to give bombers range; reduction is also reduction of threat. I saw footage identified as a tanker.

Слава Україні!

Doug

+1 Legion 4

These aircraft use long -range missiles. Planning bombs are discarded by front -line aviation.
More than 6 aircraft at the same time were never used for strikes in Ukraine. The Russians have more than a hundred of them, Chuck that this attack is unlikely to somehow affect blows to Ukraine. Rather – the Russians will abandon the part of the contract with the United States, according to which strategic aircraft aircraft were supposed to be opened for review from satellites.

But it can be said that the compromise on the completion of hostilities has become much further than it was, and the demands of the Russians to Ukraine will become tougher.

I am a simple man. I see Russian aircraft burning and destroyed and I am pleased.

Remember Putin can end the war he started by going home.

Legion. I agree with what you said. +1
Now is the time to put on the pressure.

I wonder if anyone is going to look at this a a continual degradation of Russia's strategic capabilities and start reacting that way? Bombers and before that the Armavir radar, use it lose it?

Ukraine's Daring Drone Attack Gives Trump Leverage Against Putin

"It was a surprising and devastating attack that some hysterical Russian war bloggers are calling the country's Pearl Harbor. But the assault on Pearl Harbor occurred when there was no war between Japan and the United States.

Having spent the last four nights in a bomb shelter in Odesa and Kyiv as the Kremlin continues its massive missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's cities, in a war of aggression that Moscow launched, I can assure you that Ukraine had every right to do what it did on June 1: Strike strategic bombers at five bases across the breadth of Russia.

In contrast to Moscow's targeting of Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, Ukraine committed no war crime or breach of international law in destroying those Russian planes, which are regularly used against civilians…"

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Armand

Attacks were made on 5 bases with 7 bombers damaged or destroyed at Belaya alone. So 41 in total is realistic and satellite shots, russian videos and accounts support that. russia will never admit it as they are concentrating on who to make the scapegoat, Airbase commander or maybe higher, hmm. Lots of people are locking windows and avoiding tea.

And the bridge collapse and train wreck was not terrorism. That's just another cover up for the benefit of the gullible russian tv audience. CCTV shows no sabotage unless you want to call russian lack of bridge inspection and maintenance terrorism.

Hope you're right Straw but I'd suggest 40+ is an exaggeration, as per usual with these reports. Still a win though whatever the number, and the footage of the consequences on road traffic is another win. Probably won't last long but every little bit helps.

Latest news:
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"Ukraine's security service said it had hit the Kerch Bridge in Crimea with underwater explosives. The operation was a result of "several months" of work, the SBU said, adding mines were detonated at 4.44am this morning without civilian casualties."

I think Ukraine just listened to the experts in this thread and chose a "more strategic target(s)"

The Russian strategic bomber force really doesn't have a comparable role to that of the US . The TU-95 Bears are primarily maritime reconnaissance and are beyond vulnerable to anything resembling a modern fighter. The TU-22 Backfires are primarily a defensive threat to NATO naval forces threatening the Russian mainland. The TU-160 Blackjacks are a strategic platform but are so few in number as to barely merit consideration. Russia does not really field a deterrent triad in the western sense and while the loss of these (irreplaceable) assets hurts their overall capabilities and injures their pride, these aircraft are not a key element in Russian nuclear deterrence.

Zelensky has, rightly, decided that rather than trying to appease a mercurial Washington administration that changes its policy every 27.3 hours, that it's better to do what he feels is best for Ukraine.
Don't expect this to be the last hammer blow.

How many of any of these platforms has Russia built new since the end of the Soviet Union? I don't mean assembled or reassembled from existing parts and platforms- I mean truly built new. I have seen reports that this number is zero- which if true, means replacing any of these craft will be a difficult task.

There are those on This Thread who think that The Orange Man is infallible, and can do no wrong. Naming no names, and you know who you are.
Remember when W said that he looked into Putin's eyes, and knew his soul?
Apparently being fooled by Pooty-Poot and believing him goes way back. T isn't alone.

Now is the time to put on the pressure.

The US tried to play nice with Putin. As see an error. But every plan does not work on the first cut. Even being nasty to Zelinsky … which I didn't favor.

However, that was one option. Putin does not want peace. He and his "associates" don't care how many bodies are fed into the meat grinder. IIRC Medvedev said recently, something like … Russian wants to win … not peace. That is paraphrased, of course.

The US needs to see the handwriting on the wall … Start pushing cheap drone production. The are like artillery shells. Build Baby, Build !!! Continue to upgrade the rest of the military. IIRC the barracks and family housing still need more work too. All the $ wasted by the last POTUS, Admin, many in Congress, etc. As well as their inability to be effective with e.g. supporting the military, geopolitics, Realpolitik, etc., again has really put not only the US in peril but the world …

And again, all their ed up initiatives, priorities, failures to see reality, etc. which wasted so much $. USD None of these s will be held accountable. Nothing that did was accidental, but pre-planned. Causing so much damage across the board it is really criminal.

This attack by Ukraine was very, very well planned, executed, etc. Putin and his minions still only want total "victory". The new POTUS wanted to stop all the killing … Putin/Russia only wanted war.

There are those on This Thread who think that The Orange Man is infallible, and can do no wrong. Naming no names, and you know who you are.

John try decaf or booze or both … What you posted is an exaggeration, IMO. And again … does anyone who is not a useful dupe, fool, woke progressive, far-left, liberal, etc., etc. think the alternative would be better?

E.g. again, their open border policies is a very good example of their handy work.

Straw Plaiter+ 1

Armand

The pro from dover, why? The war's goals have not yet been achieved and the current Ukrainian government still exists. The situation on the battlefield is in Russia's favor, another three hundred square kilometers of territory and seven populated areas have been cleared in the last week.

Straw Plaiter, show me this evidence of destroyed aircraft. It's very interesting to see.
Three bridges collapsed at once in one night? Do you believe it yourself?

noggin2nog, the bridge continues to operate as usual. The torpedo exploded in the protective fence.

McKinstry, irreplaceable? No, two new Tu-160s were built from scratch in Russia (not counting several more created from the Soviet backlog). But yes – these are significant losses of rare aircraft. But not irreparable.

Tgerritsen:
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For some reason, the article does not say that drones now attack in a swarm, under the control of artificial intelligence, and that they also attack air defense systems detected along the way.

All this will have little effect on the current military operations. Much more important is that the number of Russian long-range combat drones has increased several times (and continues to grow), and they are already operating in swarms under the control of artificial intelligence.
Currently, from 700-1000 drones per day attack Ukrainian facilities. Soon – 5000.

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Another article translated by AI:

Russia has come up with a new tactic for using UAVs, BI writes. Now the Geraniums dive at their targets from a great height, making them difficult to intercept. In addition, the speed and number of drones have increased significantly. All this is exhausting the already weak Ukrainian air defense.

Matthew Loh
— Russian Geraniums dive down from great heights to avoid enemy fire.
— A representative of the Ukrainian Air Force said that the drones dive from a height of about two kilometers.
— This innovation neutralizes Ukraine's tactic of shooting down Geraniums with large-caliber machine guns.
Russia's growing dependence on massive attacks using Geranium drones has given way to a new tactic: drones carrying explosives dive from great heights.
"The Russians' tactics now boil down to the fact that they constantly change the UAV routes and try to launch them at high altitudes — more than two kilometers," the chief spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ignat, told Ukrainian media. "And then they dive down directly onto the object itself," Ignat added.
Although Ignat did not single out the Geran specifically, it is this loitering munition that has become the main Russian drone for long-range bombing of Ukrainian cities. The Ukrainian Air Force spokesman said that maneuvers at high altitude allow the drones to be detected on radar, but go beyond the range of small arms fire.

This is a problem for the Ukrainian Air Defense, which has dispatched mobile fire teams with heavy machine guns mounted on trucks specifically to shoot down approaching Gerans.
Ukrainian air defense units say that the enemy's kamikaze drones fly higher and faster, making interception even more difficult. Some of the Geranium variants have increased their top speed from 185 kilometers per hour to 290 kilometers per hour.
As a result, one of the commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mobile fire team told Business Insider's Jake Epstein last week, the Ukrainians are having to rely more heavily on man-portable air defense systems.
The use of Geraniums is just one part of Russia's strategy to deplete Ukraine's air defenses, including its electronic warfare capabilities and its stockpile of surface-to-air missiles.
Geranium attacks have increased dramatically over the past year, with Russia often launching hundreds of them overnight to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. They are combined with waves of long-range missiles, making nighttime attacks even more deadly and difficult to intercept.
Some of the Geraniums launched are cheaper, warhead-less versions that serve as decoys. According to Ignat's calculations, out of every 100 drones launched in Ukraine, about 40 are "decoys".
"Geraniums" are slower and, as a rule, significantly weaker than cruise or ballistic missiles, but they also cost significantly less: about 20-50 thousand dollars each. Even low-class air defense missiles, such as the medium-range Buk-M1 anti-missiles, can cost up to 300,000 dollars each.

More and more Russian "Geraniums" are in the skies over Ukraine. If this happened to us, we would have problems
The American-made Patriot missile system (of which there are supposedly six to eight in Ukraine) launches interceptors that cost up to four million dollars each.
This difference in cost is largely what dictates Moscow's desire to increase production of "Geraniums" and send them in waves, often targeting civilian infrastructure.
Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported that the number of Geraniums launched increased from 130 per week in September last year to 1,100 last spring.
Meanwhile, in February, Ukrainian intelligence said that Russia had begun developing a new version of the Geranium that would be capable of reaching speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour with a range of 2,500 kilometers.
The Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

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Russian translation of the article:

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Russian article using Ukrainian statistics on Russia's use of drones in combat (AI translation):

"February 2025 was a record month for the number of drones used amid a decrease in the intensity of missile strikes on Ukraine.

The enemy systematized data on the use of kamikaze drones and missiles of various types by the Russian Armed Forces against targets on the territory of Ukraine based on public data for February 2025. The results are as follows:

▪️The past month was again a record month for the number of Russian drones used – 3,097 units of Geraniums, Gerberas and Parodies were launched at Ukraine.

The previous record of 2,599 drones launched was set in January 2025, and on the night of February 23, 267 drones congratulated the enemy at once, which also became a record.

▪️On the contrary, the number of missiles used decreased. Thus, the enemy recorded only 99 launched missiles of various types (Iskanders, KN-23, Kh-101, Kh-59, Kh-22, etc.) per month and only one massive missile strike – on February 1.

The main targets of the strikes were most often military, industrial and energy facilities of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa and Poltava regions.

▪️The most difficult criterion to assess, the number of FPV drones used, also reached a record and amounted to more than 17 thousand strikes per month. On one of the days, a daily record was set: more than 1,150 FPV drones used.

As the enemy notes, if in 2024 the average daily rate of strikes by Russian FPV drones was 250-300 units per day, then in 2025, under good weather conditions, it is already starting to approach a thousand per day.

▪️In addition to FPV drones, its the record in February was also updated by the "Lancets", which had previously faded into the background in the media amid the active hype of FPV drones on fiber optics and the new "Molniyas" – more than 200 applications per month.

Thus, there is an obvious trend of a significant increase in the load on the Ukrainian air defense by launching an increasing number of cheap and numerous kamikaze drones and decoys, instead of more expensive and complex cruise and ballistic missiles.

This inevitably causes depletion of the enemy's air defense systems, which depend on Western supplies. This problem is becoming more acute right now, when the United States makes public statements about the possible termination of military aid – which will deprive key air defense systems such as the Patriot of a stock of anti-aircraft missiles.

At the same time, significant pressure is being experienced by the enemy on the front line, since the increase in the use of FPV drones inevitably means an increase in losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in personnel and equipment, and the introduction of new weapons, such as FPV drones on fiber optics, FPV drones with target guidance, and aircraft-type FPV drones with heavy warheads, creates even more problems for the enemy on the line of contact."

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Show must go on!

This analyst speculates that there may not be a dramatic counter-escalation, that Putin has side-stepped the CIA/MI6/EU/NATO/Obama-Clinton trap and is committed to winning via a slow, grinding, steady ground war.

Putin Doesn't Need to Retaliate Against Drone Strike – He's Already Winning the Ukraine War
As of this writing, the world is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Following Ukraine's latest long-range drone and bomber raids deep into Russian territory – including an audacious strike on military infrastructure in Tatarstan and symbolic attacks near Moscow – there has been no large-scale Russian retaliation. No carpet bombing of Kyiv. No massed air campaign. No strategic escalation to match the hype swirling in Western media and Telegram channels alike. And so the question remains: Is Putin holding back? Or is he preparing to go big?

The answer lies neither in the skies over Belgorod nor in the bombastic statements from Kremlin representatives. It lies in the slow, methodical, grinding progress on the ground in Ukraine. That's where Russia is winning the war – and why it doesn't need to "go big" in some cinematic show of force.

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War is hard and dangerous work. Day after day. If necessary – for years. This is exactly how they treat it in Russia.
And in Ukraine, too, because they are Russians too.

This whole attack is just an attempt to disrupt the negotiations under a plausible pretext. It is no coincidence that this was done the day before the start of the second round. Zelensky hoped for a hysterical response.

Cuprum, I asked in light of this article and others that have discussed how the TU160 new build program hasn't gone so well.

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The war will end – the work will continue. All the problems described are quite surmountable. You understand that after the past escalation of tension, priorities in all areas of Russia will change. I remember the stories of experts that the Russian Su-57 is an unrealistic project. And nothing – it is being built and fighting successfully.

If I were the Russians, I'd find out where the drones were produced, then send in covert teams to destroy the factories (even if in another country) to send an unmistakeable message. Or better yet, send in drones to do it… ;-)

The drones that attacked Russian airfields and the trucks from which they were launched were manufactured in Russia, in the city of Chelyabinsk. More precisely, such drones are freely available for sale – they were only re-equipped and reprogrammed. This was done by a Ukrainian citizen who legally resided in Russia and was engaged in entrepreneurship (he had a freight transportation company, which is logical), who hastily left Russia after the sabotage. Russia's open borders and loyalty to Ukrainian citizens have their costs.

"The authorities (city) of Ust-Kut are searching for a native of Donetsk, 37-year-old Artem Timofeev, who may be involved in the drone attack on the Belaya military airfield in the Irkutsk region. According to sources, Timofeev owned the cars from which the drones took off.

It is known that the wanted man previously lived in Kyiv, and then moved to the Chelyabinsk region. At the same time, he and most of his family are registered in the city of Miass. In October 2024, Timofeev opened an individual entrepreneur for cargo transportation, and in December he bought his first cars. It was from these cars that the drones that attacked Russian military facilities on June 1 took off.

At the moment, the wanted notices for Timofeev have been sent to all departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

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The Three Punch Combo Behind Ukraine's Spectacular Drone Strike on Russia

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Armand