The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has officially confirmed its involvement in a large-scale drone operation that struck four Russian airbases deep behind enemy lines, claiming the destruction or damage of 41 military aircraft.
In a statement issued on June 2, 2025, SBU chief Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk revealed that the agency’s drones hit airfields in Irkutsk, Murmansk, Ryazan, and Ivanovo Oblasts, targeting some of Russia’s most valuable strategic aircraft.
Among the aircraft reported hit are Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 long-range strategic bombers, as well as an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft.
Notably, the Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and A-50 aircraft targeted are no longer in production. As of 2025, Russia operated 12 Beriev A-50s, having lost two in earlier Ukrainian attacks. Based on the Il-76 airframe, the A-50 carries a rotating radar dome and serves as Russia’s airborne early warning and control platform, its closest counterpart to NATO’s E-3 Sentry.
If confirmed, the losses would arguably represent the most significant Ukrainian attack against Russia’s air force since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
“This was not just a devastating blow to enemy aviation, but a serious slap in the face of the power and terrorist essence of the Russian Federation,” Malyuk said, adding that the estimated cost of damaged aircraft exceeds $7 billion.
The revetted parking positions. pic.twitter.com/WNFYnlEZDz
— Chris Biggers (@CSBiggers) June 2, 2025
Operation Web: planned in secret, executed over three time zones
The operation, codenamed Pautyna (“Web”), had reportedly been in planning for over a year and a half, with preparations commencing on November 23, 2023. It was directly overseen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described it as “an absolutely unique operation” and thanked the SBU and General Malyuk for its successful execution.
“The planning, organization, and all the details were perfectly prepared,” Zelenskyy said in an address following the announcement. “We can say with confidence that this is an absolutely unique operation.”
Zelenskyy noted that the command center for the operation inside Russian territory was situated near a local office of Russia’s FSB security service.
According to the president, 117 drones were used during the strikes, each operated by a designated Ukrainian controller. The strikes reportedly destroyed around 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers located at its main airbases.
Mobile cabins and remote drone launchers
The operation unfolded simultaneously across three Russian time zones and involved complex cross-border logistics. Ukrainian teams transported FPV kamikaze drones into Russia concealed within mobile wooden cabins, later mounted on trailers.
“At the right moment, the roofs of the cabins were remotely opened, and the drones flew to hit the designated targets – Russian bombers,” the SBU explained.
President Zelenskyy also noted that all personnel involved in supporting the strikes from inside Russia had been safely exfiltrated in advance of the operation.
“A real demilitarization of the Russian Federation”
Malyuk emphasized that the targets were military in nature and had been used to bomb Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
“According to the laws and customs of war, we worked out absolutely legitimate targets – military airfields and aircraft that bomb our peaceful cities,” Malyuk said. “On our part, there is a real demilitarization of the Russian Federation.”
All direct participants in the operation remain inside Ukraine, Malyuk added, underscoring the SBU’s ability to project force without placing its personnel at risk of capture.
“We will respond to Russian terror and destroy the enemy everywhere – at sea, in the air, and on land. And if necessary, we will get it out from under the ground,” the SBU chief concluded.
The full extent of the damage is still being assessed. While the claimed figure of 41 aircraft has not been independently verified, multiple videos from inside Russia confirm fires, explosions, and damaged aircraft at the affected airbases.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts have begun compiling footage from the strikes, offering a preliminary assessment of the damage.
Ukraine’s Security Service has hit one-third of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers. #UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineWar #UkraineNeverSurrenders pic.twitter.com/PCnRaolaTX
— TOP LEAD (@TopLeadEU) June 1, 2025
At Olenya Airbase, four Tu-95 strategic bombers and one An-12 transport aircraft appear to have been hit. At Ivanovo, imagery suggests a Beriev A-50 airborne early warning aircraft was likely damaged. Meanwhile, at Belaya Airbase, one Tu-95 and two Tu-22M3 bombers were reportedly struck.
