July 5, 2025:
On June 1st, 2025, Ukraine launched a surprise drone attack on five Russian air bases located all over Russia. The farthest target was about 4,300 kilometers from Ukraine. One base was at Murmansk in northwestern Russia while another was in Amur, near the Pacific coast. Two more, Ryazan and Ivanovo were near Ukraine while Irkutsk was in central Siberia near the Mongolian border.
The attacks destroyed 41 aircraft, nearly 35 percent of the Russian long-range bomber fleet. Several other bombers were damaged but repairable. Most were Tu-95 and Tu-22M strategic bombers.
Ukraine estimated the destroyed aircraft were worth $7 billion. Actually, these bombers are priceless because none of the destroyed bombers are manufactured anymore and even making repairs is difficult because few of the aircraft components are still being made.
Ukraine called this operation Spider's Web because it involved smuggling 117 drones worth about half a million dollars. The drones were transported on several tractor-trailer trucks hauling standard cargo containers. These containers were modified so that the tops would be raised by remote control and the drones inside launched. The drones were First Person View/FPV models and the controllers were in Ukraine. There was not a lot of control to do because the drones had targeting systems that sought images of specific aircraft and landed on or near the aircraft fuel tanks before detonating. The remaining fuel in those tanks did most of the damage. Two or three drones were assigned to each target,
Ukraine later revealed that it took 18 months of planning and preparation for this operation. The trucks were driven to the vicinity of the airbases and left there while the Russian speaking Ukrainian drivers made their way back to Ukraine. Russia claims that they caught some of the drivers but there is no confirmation on that.
The Russian heavy bombers carried up to eight Kh-101 missiles each. These missiles are like the 1983 American Tomahawk but did not enter service until 2010. Tomahawks have a range of up to 2,500 kilometers while the Kh-101 can travel as far as 5,500 kilometers. For the Ukraine War most of these missiles carried less fuel and larger, 800 kg, warheads. The missiles were usually launched about a thousand kilometers from the Ukrainian border to avoid being shot down by Ukrainian aircraft or Patriot missiles.
While somewhat stealthy, they travel at subsonic speed and Ukrainian air defenses soon became quite proficient at shooting them down, usually with Patriot or other missiles. Ukrainian aircraft carrying long-range anti-aircraft missiles have also accounted for a lot of Kh-101s. In response Russia is using more inexpensive drones while developing high-speed Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Kinzhal is more likely to reach its target but costs five times as much as Kh-101 and entered service in 2018. Ukrainians air defense experts found ways to intercept Kinzhal, but not as frequently as Kh-101s.