SBU's "Web" Operation: A New Take on Destroyed Russian Aircraft
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Kiev's 'Spiderweb' Operation: Updated Tally of Aircraft Wreckage - Intensified Ground Offensive in Kiev: Reported Total of Downed Aircraft Increases
The destruction of aircraft in Ukraine's covert operation "Web," employing drone assaults against Russian military bases, may have been lesser than initially reported from Kyiv. New data from the Ukrainian General Staff reveals a total of 12 Russian aircraft losses. The General Staff failed to specify the aircraft types. Previously, the SBU had claimed at least 41 damaged aircraft, including the early warning aircraft Berijew A-50, Tupolev Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160.
Ukraine celebrated the drone attacks on airbases in the Irkutsk and Murmansk areas as an unprecedented strike against the Russian air force. According to SBU figures, approximately 34% of Russia’s bombers capable of carrying cruise missiles were hit – an estimated 40 combat and reconnaissance aircraft.
Russia retaliates
A stern response was voiced from the Russian side. "Revenge is imminent," declared Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, on Telegram. Concurrently, he referred to the active progress of the Russian military. "Everything destined to be blown up in the air will be blown up, and those meant to disappear will," the former Russian president added. He deemed negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul unnecessary to attain a compromise peace. Instead, they served to move Russia closer to victory.
Media reports fewer destroyed aircraft
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged that aircraft in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions were set ablaze by drone attacks, but provided no numbers or aircraft types. Independent media, based on their own research using videos and satellite images, reported significantly lower figures than the Ukrainian intelligence service – between 9 damaged aircraft and no more than 14.
The drones, small and remotely controlled, were hidden in wooden containers on trucks, which were unwittingly driven to the military areas by their drivers. Upon arrival, the truck roofs automatically opened, and the drones, armed with explosives, launched their assault.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the stealthy attack, masterminded by his SBU intelligence service, as "an absolutely brilliant victory." He revealed that 1.5 years of preparation preceded the attack. Targets included bases in the European part of Russia in Ivanovo, Rяazan, and Murmansk, as well as Irkutsk in Siberia and Amur in the Far East.
- Kyiv
- Web
- Ukraine
- Russia
- SBU
- Drone attack
- Intelligence service
- Drone
- Irkutsk
- Murmansk
- Military base
- Tupolev
- Air force
Enrichment Data:
Upon closer examination, the confirmed destruction of Russian aircraft following Ukrainian drone attacks includes approximately 11-14 Russian aircraft, according to independent media and expert analyses based on satellite imagery and official reporting[1][2]. The precise number varies by source and location, but the consensus among independent analysts is around 11 aircraft destroyed. The destruction includes three Tu-95MS bombers and four Tu-22M3 bombers at Belaya airbase, and at least three Tu-95MS bombers at Olenya airbase[1].
- The destruction of Russian aircraft in Ukraine's operation "Web" is now estimated to have consisted of approximately 11-14 aircraft, according to independent media and expert analyses, contrasting initial reports from Kyiv.
- Despite tension escalating with drone attacks on Russian military bases in regions such as Irkutsk and Murmansk, ongoing political negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, as declared unnecessary by Dmitry Medvedev, may still have the potential to shape the outcome of the current conflicts.
