<p >In the afternoon of June 1, Ukrainian forces launched a successful large scale done strike on three major Russian Aerospace Forces facilities including Olenya in the Murmansk region, Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region, and the Belaya airbase in the Irkutsk region, Siberia. The ability to engage targets unprecedentedly deep inside Russia&nbsp;was achieved by launching aircraft from trucks deep inside Russian territory.&nbsp;The operation, codenamed "Spider Web,” was reported by Ukrainian sources to have been planned for a year-and-a-half, and according to Western and Ukrainian sources has damaged and destroyed more than 40 military aircraft. Among the most valuable aircraft destroyed are Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, which are both classes of aircraft that have ceased production for more than two decades and are irreplaceable.&nbsp;At least four <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/enhanced-tu95-bomber-cruise-missile-ukraine" target="_blank" >Tu-95MS bombers</a> are confirmed to have been lost, with Ukrainian drones reported to have specifically targeted their underwing pylons where fuel and cruise missiles are carried. <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-growing-use-a50u-hunt-ukr" target="_blank" >A-50 airborne early warning and control </a>(AEW&amp;C) systems, which are among the most costly aircraft fielded by the Russian Armed Forces, were also reported to have been destroyed. Shortly after videos emerged confirming the attack, the Russia 1 TV channel reported that President Vladimir Putin would hold meeting with government members and Security Council session.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/01/article_683c681e756ec5_69874620.png" title="Image Allegedly Showing Ukrainian Drones Before Launch"></p><p >Preceding the attack, drones were transported into Russia by the Ukrainian SBU security service, and were subsequently concealed under the roofs of mobile wooden cabins in place placed on trucks. "At the right moment, the roofs of the cabins were opened remotely, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,” an informed source told Ukrainian media regarding the incident.&nbsp;The strike on Belaya Airbase in Russia's Irkutsk region in Siberia, which is located more than 4000 kilometres from Ukrainian territory, was considered a particularly major success,&nbsp;and demonstrates an unprecedented reach for Ukrainian drone strikes.&nbsp;The facility hosts the 200th Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment deploying <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/kh22-strikes-impossible-air-defence-desperate" target="_blank">Tu-22M3 bombers</a>. </p><p >Russian strategic bombers have played important roles in supporting the country’s war effort and launching strikes on a wide range of Ukrainian targets since the outset of hostilities in February 2022. On May 26, for example, the Russian Aerospace Forces deployed 10 Tu-95MSM strategic bombers for large scale Kh-101 <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/tu95-launch-mass-cruise-missile-strike-ukraine" >cruise missile strikes</a> on Ukrainian targets. The attacks on bomber bases across Russia under Operation Spider Web coincide with growing frustrations faced by Ukrainian negotiators in talks with representatives from both Moscow and the United States, and at a time of growing losses on the frontlines. It also occurred just hours after mass casualties were incurred in Russia after Ukrainian saboteurs allegedly destroyed a bridge and caused a train to derail in the Bryansk region.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/01/article_683c685a5360d9_27748517.jpg" title="Russian Aerospace Forces Tu-22M3 Bombers at Belaya Air Base"></p><p >Ukrainian forces have made multiple attempts to strike bomber bases in the past. On January 8, 2025, a long range drone strike <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-major-blow-russia-strategic-bomber-fleet" >successfully targeted</a> the Kombinat Kristall fuel depot near the primary operational facility of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, Engels Airbase, sparking a large scale fire which engulfed large parts of the facility’s associated storage tanks. The attack is reported to have destroyed reserves of T-8V high-density specialised aviation fuel used by&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/putin-delegation-inspect-tu160m" >Tu-160 bombers</a>&nbsp;based at the facility, which is produced through a complex refining process at only a small number of locations in Russia. Subsequently on March 20 Ukrainian forces launched a <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-successful-strike-key-hub-russian-tu160-fleet" >successful strike</a> on Engels Air Base itself, close to 500 kilometres behind Russian lines, with footage confirming that drones were used to cause a major explosion at the facility.&nbsp;</p><p >The <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukrainian-drone-strike-damage-tu22m" target="_blank">targeting</a> of facilities hosting parts of its strategic nuclear triad is particularly sensitive for the Russian Armed Forces, with the country’s nuclear doctrine allowing nuclear attacks to be launched in retaliation for the targeting of these assets. Alongside attacks on bomber bases, Ukrainian drone units have also targeted sensitive strategic&nbsp;radar facilities that are vital to Russia’s early warning capabilities, including a May 2024 <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-ballistic-missiles-russia-radars" >attack</a>&nbsp;on a Voronezh-DM early warning radar system at the Armavir Radar Station. Russia’s response to the latest Ukrainian operation remains uncertain, but is likely to involve an escalation of retaliatory strikes in Ukraine and a thorough review of internal security procedures to prevent recurrences.&nbsp;</p>
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