Ukraine hits 41 strategic bombers at four Russian airbases in Operation Spiderweb. Ukraine can meet up to 40 per cent of its weapons needs with own production, Zelenskyi says. Ukraine shoots down, neutralizes in flight 52 of 80 drones that Russia launches overnight in combination with missiles.
Ukraine hits 41 strategic bombers at four Russian airbases in Operation Spiderweb
Ukraine’s Security Service simultaneously hit four military airbases deep inside Russia that host Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet in an operation dubbed Spiderweb, the agency said in a statement on Monday issued in the name of its head, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk.
The drones used in the strikes hit 41 planes, including the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160, the statement said.
“The enemy used these planes to bombard our country almost every night, and today they actually felt that retaliation is inevitable. The Security Service of Ukraine is doing everything possible to protect Ukraine and stop Russian attacks,” Malyuk said.
The operation took more than a year and a half to prepare. Malyuk chaired a team to plan the strikes.
The attack struck four Russian airbases: Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya and Ivanovo. That’s the highest number of Russian aircraft destroyed in a single attack, Ukraine’s Security Service said.
“Generally, 34 per cent of [Russia’s] strategic cruise missile carriers were hit at its main air bases. It was not just a devastating blow to enemy aviation, but also a serious hit on Russia’s might and terrorist nature,” Malyuk said.
Ukraine’s Security Service estimated the damage to Russia’s strategic aviation was more than USD 7 billion.
The operation spanned across three different time zones and was extremely complicated from a logistical point of view, Malyuk continued.
“According to the laws and customs of war, we hit absolutely legitimate targets — military airbases and aircraft that bombard our cities. We are actually demilitarizing Russia by destroying its military installations. Our strikes will continue as long as Russia terrorizes Ukrainians with missiles and Shahed drones,” Malyuk said.
He thanked the security service personnel involved in the “historic operation”, adding that people involved in it were already back in Ukraine.
Ukraine can meet up to 40 per cent of its weapons needs with own production, Zelenskyi says
Ukraine can meet up to 40 per cent of its weapons needs with own production, provided it has consistent financing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi told a summit of the Bucharest Nine and Nordic countries in Vilnius on Monday.
“Ukraine can cover up to 40 per cent of its weapons needs with domestic production — but this requires stable funding. Our operations show how much impact investments, especially in drones, can have. And we still urgently need air defense, especially Patriot systems and missiles for them,” Zelenskyi said.
He added that Russia had launched a summer offensive, but at the same time it is being pushed to engage in diplomacy. “This is both a challenge and a real opportunity for us all — a chance to try to end this war,” he said.
The EU and U.S. together have better weapons than Russia, Zelenskyi continued.
“We also have stronger tactical solutions — our operation Spiderweb yesterday proved that. Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy,” he said.
Zelenskyi also called on the summit participants to ask their domestic intelligence agencies what Russia plans in Belarus this summer.
“If [Russia is] bold enough to prepare attacks from there, then we need more strength together. And right now, that means strengthening Ukraine so that we can stop this war and prevent it from spreading,” he said.
Ukraine shoots down, neutralizes in flight 52 of 80 drones that Russia launches overnight in combination with missiles
Russia launched a total of 80 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight on Monday. It also sent into the country three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and an Iskander-K cruise missile, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Ukraine’s military said it had destroyed or neutralized in flight 52 drones: 15 drones were shot down and 37 more disappeared off radar after likely being disabled by electronic warfare systems.
The strikes primarily targeted the regions of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Donetsk and Kherson.
The Air Force and other branches of the Ukrainian military deployed aircraft, surface-to-air missile troops, electronic warfare and drone units, and mobile teams to repel the attack.
Russian missiles and drones hit 12 sites, the statement reads.
