Operation Spider's Web: What we know about Ukraine's drone attack on Russia

On the eve of the second round of peace talks, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack, destroying $7 billion worth of aircraft, representing 34% of the Russian bomber fleet

Ukraine dealt a crippling blow to Russia over the weekend by launching a massive drone strike, targeting multiple rival airbases which resulted in substantial damage to Moscow's strategic bomber fleet. The operation, codenamed 'Spider's Web', was Ukraine's biggest drone operation against Russia to date.

 

The attack came after a deadly missile strike from Russia and on the eve of the scheduled second round of peace talks between the two nations in Istanbul.

 

Russian missile strikes kill 12 Ukrainian soldiers

On June 1, a Russian Iskander-M missile struck a Ukrainian military training facility in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The strike killed 12 Ukrainian soldiers and wounded more than 60 others. The targeted site, operated by the 239th Training Centre, was located around 100 kilometres from the front lines.

 

Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, the commander of Ukraine's land forces, tendered his resignation following the Russian missile strike. Drapatyi cited personal responsibility for the tragedy as the reason for his departure.

 

Operation Spider's Web

Hours after Russia's missile attack, Ukrainian forces executed a drone assault on five Russian airbases: Belaya, Dyagilevo, Ivanovo Severny, Olenya, and Ukrainka. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that 117 drones were deployed, successfully damaging or destroying over 40 military aircraft, including Tu-95, Tu-22M, and A-50 models.

 

The SBU claims that it damaged $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft, which represents 34 per cent of the Russian bomber fleet. This operation marks Ukraine's deepest strike into Russian territory, with some targets located over 4,300 kilometres from the front lines.  

 

The drones were concealed within wooden structures mounted on trucks, allowing them to be transported close to the targeted airbases without detection, an SBU official told news agency Reuters.  Once in position, the drones were remotely launched, catching Russian defences off guard. The operation had reportedly been in the works for more than a year.

 

In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the operation as a "brilliant success", emphasising its precision and the significant blow dealt to Russia's aerial capabilities.  

 

Russian military captures another village in Ukraine

Meanwhile, the Russian military reportedly took control of another village in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region on Sunday, an area where Kyiv is concerned about the possibility of a renewed ground offensive by Moscow. As of May-end 2025, Ukraine has lost about 18 per cent of its total land to Russia, a CNN report noted.

 

Russia and Ukraine to hold peace talks in Istanbul

These developments occurred on the eve of the second round of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, scheduled to take place in Istanbul on June 2. The first round, held over a week ago, led to the largest prisoner exchange since the war began, but failed to produce any roadmap for ending the war.

 

Ukraine is expected to present a formal proposal calling for:

• A 30-day ceasefire
• Mutual prisoner releases
• A high-level summit between Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin

 

Leading up to the talks, Zelenskyy expressed frustration over Russia's failure to provide a memorandum outlining its peace terms. Meanwhile, Russian officials claim it has received Ukraine's proposals. Moscow has so far rejected all ceasefire demands.