The report indicated that Cobweb Operation, conducted by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), demonstrated Kyiv’s ability to strike key Russian assets located thousands of kilometers from the front line.
Sources said the damage to the bombers is more likely to affect decision-makers close to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin than to alter the Kremlin’s military goals. A source familiar with internal Kremlin discussions said the pace of Russian missile strikes is unlikely to slow, as “only a few bombers are needed.”
While Russia has officially acknowledged that some aircraft were damaged, Ukraine reported that over 40 aircraft were hit. A Kremlin-linked insider estimated the number at around 10, while a Western official said at least 7 Tu-95 and 4 Tu-22 bombers were destroyed or heavily damaged.
Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, noted that the loss of Tu-95s places additional strain on the rest of the fleet. Russia’s strategic aviation was already the smallest component of its nuclear triad — and now, he said, it’s even smaller.
“The nature of the target strikes at the heart of Russia’s nuclear threat factor, undermining Putin’s aura of invulnerability,” the article wrote.
However, Kremlin and Defense Ministry officials reportedly remain confident the attack won’t significantly weaken Russia’s nuclear capabilities.
Cobweb operation
On June 1, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched a massive drone operation targeting Russia’s strategic bombers.
According to NV sources, the attack damaged or destroyed 41 aircraft, including A-50 early warning planes, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, and at least one Tu-160.
Targets included airbases Olenya (Murmansk Oblast), Belaya (Irkutsk Oblast), Dyagilevo (Ryazan Oblast), and Ivanovo (Ivanovo Oblast).
The strike on Belaya Airbase marked the first Ukrainian attack in Siberia since the war began.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly oversaw the operation personally. It was executed by SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk and his team.
The operation required over 18 months of preparation, including smuggling FPV drones and wooden mobile shelters into Russia. At the right moment, the roofs were remotely opened, launching drones from trucks parked near airfields.
According to the SBU, the strike disabled approximately 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers, with the total estimated damage exceeding $7 billion.
On June 2, geospatial intelligence consultant Chris Biggers published satellite imagery showing at least eight aircraft destroyed at Belaya airbase: four Tu-95MS and four Tu-22M3s.