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Ukrainian forces destroyed dozens of Russian warplanes connected Sunday successful a coordinated drone onslaught that penetrated heavy into Russian territory, hitting 5 subject airfields and igniting aircraft, including strategical bombers and surveillance planes.
The operation, called "Spider’s Web," took 18 months to program and was personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s information work (SBU) said.
Ukraine used tiny FPV drones hidden wrong woody cabins mounted connected trucks. When the trucks reached their targets, the roofs opened by distant control, and the drones launched.
Videos connected societal media showed drones lifting disconnected from parked trucks and striking ample craft connected the runways.
UKRAINE DESTROYS DOZENS OF RUSSIAN WARPLANES WITH DRONE ATTACK DEEP INSIDE RUSSIA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with a apical subject commandant astatine his bureau successful Kyiv pursuing the announcement of "Operation Spider's Web," a drone onslaught that targeted Russian airbases heavy wrong Russian territory. (@ZelenskyyUa via X)
In a connection connected X, Zelenskyy called the operation "an perfectly superb result" and said it was "achieved solely by Ukraine."
He said the ngo took "one year, six months, and 9 days from the commencement of readying to effectual execution" and described it arsenic "our astir long-range operation." He added that "our radical progressive successful preparing the cognition were withdrawn from Russian territory successful time" and thanked General Vasyl Maliuk, caput of the SBU, for the success.
Zelensky said immoderate details could not beryllium disclosed yet but declared: "These are Ukrainian actions that volition undoubtedly beryllium successful past books… Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so."
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed that airfields successful 5 regions were attacked: Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur.
Russia called the onslaught a "terrorist act" but said its forces repelled the attack. Still, the ministry admitted respective craft caught fire. Russian officials said immoderate suspects had been arrested.
Ukraine said 117 drones were used.
The SBU claimed 34% of Russia’s strategical bombers were deed and estimated the harm astatine $7 billion. BBC Monitoring reported that different Ukrainian experts gave a little estimation of $2 billion. These numbers person not been confirmed.
This representation taken from a video released by a root successful the Ukrainian Security Service connected June 1, 2025, shows a Ukrainian drone striking Russian planes heavy successful Russia's territory. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)
Ukraine says it volition propulsion for a afloat ceasefire, the instrumentality of captured prisoners, and the instrumentality of children taken to Russia. Those presumption person not been agreed to by Russia.
The White House confirmed to Fox News that the Trump medication was not informed astir the onslaught successful advance. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who did not talk to Ukrainian officials instantly aft the operation, was yet fixed a afloat briefing and consequent updates, according to a elder defence official.
The officials said the blitz was highly sophisticated, and that the Pentagon is unsure whether the quadcopter drones, which were prepositioned successful Russia successful cabins and past offloaded into trucks, were piloted oregon autonomous.
U.S. officials were skeptical of reports that up to 50 Russian bombers were hit, and believed the fig was apt betwixt 11 and 15, the authoritative said, who added it whitethorn person progressive arsenic galore arsenic 5 Russian airfields.
In this undated photograph provided by the Ukrainian Security Service, caput of the Security Service Vasyl Malyuk studies a photograph of a representation of Russia's strategical aviation determination successful his bureau successful Ukraine. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)
Military experts accidental the raid damaged Russia’s quality to motorboat long-range rocket attacks. The bombers deed included TU-95 and TU-22M3 aircraft, which person been utilized successful past strikes connected Ukraine.
Ukraine besides claimed it damaged a Russian A-50 radar aircraft, utilized to nonstop Russian aerial power.
BBC weapons expert Chris Partridge said that due to the fact that the drones were launched from wrong Russia, aerial defenses similar the S-300 and S-400 had small clip to react.
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The White House did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's further petition for comment.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Jasmine is simply a writer astatine Fox News Digital and a subject spouse based successful New Orleans. Stories tin beryllium sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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