Sunday’s strike may serve as a reminder that nowhere within Russia should be considered a “safe zone.”
Kyiv is claiming that it carried out a drone strike early Sunday morning local time that damaged or destroyed more than 40 Russian military aircraft at remote bases throughout the country. If these reports are accurate, this would be the most daring attacks carried out yet by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU)—and could be a significant blow to the Kremlin, impacting its operational capabilities and also damaging its military prestige.
The operation, codenamed “Pavutyna” (“Web”), reportedly targeted four remote airbases in Russia, including Belaya, Diaghilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo. Waves of first-person view (FPV) drones were launched from trucks parked near the bases, suggesting that SBU is carrying out operations from deep within Russia. The drones had been smuggled into Russia concealed in mobile homes and positioned for the coordinated attack.
Russia’s Bombers Are Burning
Though the Kremlin has not commented publicly, the SBU released video footage that purported to show drones attacking the bases. In one video clip, rows of Russian Aerospace Forces strategic and nuclear bombers were seen burning at the Belaya airbase in the Irkutsk Oblast, Siberia, located thousands of miles from Ukraine, while plumes of heavy black smoke could be seen about the Olenya air base near Murmansk in the Arctic region.
It is unclear how much damage was done to the Diaghilevo air base, just south of Moscow, or the Ivanovo air base, located northeast of the Russian capital. According to the SBU, both were part of the drone strikes.
As the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported, the Kremlin repositioned its bombers far from the frontlines “to get them out of range of Ukraine’s drones.” Still, Sunday’s strike may serve as a reminder that nowhere within Russia should be considered a “safe zone.”
Among the aircraft damaged or possibly destroyed were numerous Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name Bear) and Tu-22M3 (NATO reporting name Backfire) long-range strategic bombers, and at least one A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft.
“This is a turning point,” a source in the SBU told the Kyiv Post. “Our drones are now reaching far into the enemy’s rear, where the planes that drop bombs on our civilians take off. Their impunity is over.”
The SBU is claiming the operation, which took more than a year and a half to plan and organize, may have inflicted more than $2.2 billion in losses for the Russian Aerospace forces.
Russia’s Northern Fleet Is Also in the Crosshairs
Explosions were heard at, and smoke was reportedly seen rising from, the Russian Navy’s facilities in Severomorsk, Russia, the home port of its Northern Fleet. Severomorsk is the primary base for Moscow’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet, with around two-thirds of the nuclear-armed boats housed there.
In another possibly related incident, waves of bombs were set off on Russian railway lines, derailing several trains in the border region near Ukraine.
The attacks on the Russian military targets also came just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz lifted the longstanding restrictions on the range of German-delivered missiles, allowing the Ukrainian military to target legitimate military targets throughout Russia. That policy aligned with some of Kyiv’s other supporters, including the UK and France.
Night of the Drones
Even as Ukraine was launching its drones at Russian military targets, the Kremlin carried out another massive drone and missile strike on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Kyiv claimed that 472 Russian drones, along with seven ballistic and cruise missiles, were part of the latest wave directed at Ukraine, while 385 of the aerial threats were neutralized.
This is a developing story.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / zef art.
