Operation Spider Web: Did Ukraine Deal a Major Blow to Russia's Strategic Air Power?

On June 1, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a historic strike against the Russian air force as part of a special drone operation called "Spider Web." Official Kiev said that the operation had inflicted significant damage on Russia's strategic aviation potential and that it should be "entered into history textbooks."

Attack locations and scale

According to the SBU, five major airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions were attacked by Ukrainian drones as part of the operation. These were used by strategic missile carriers such as Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22M3 to launch missile strikes on Ukraine from secure areas.

Kiev said that 34 percent of Russia's strategic missile carriers were out of service as a result of the attack, with total damage estimated at $7 billion. According to DW, at least 41 aircraft were damaged, including an A-50 strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

What do the experts say?

Military analyst Carlo Masala believes that if the Ukrainian side's accusations are true, this would be "one of the largest and most devastating strikes ever inflicted on Russia's strategic bomber fleet." American journalist Boyan Panchevski described the devastating strike as "the equivalent of Pearl Harbor during World War II."

BBC analyst Chris Partridge also noted that Russia's cruise missile capabilities would be reduced as a result of this operation. According to him, aircraft such as the A-50 provided command and control to fighter aircraft at the front - their destruction would seriously weaken Russia's air control.

Russian blogosphere and Z-theories

Z-bloggers and pro-war Russian news channels explained the operation by the fact that it was carried out in a completely unprotected environment, with no air defense systems or hangars. The Telegram channel "Two Majors" also assessed this as a threat to the protection of nuclear forces:

"This is a direct strike on the nuclear balance of power. It reveals the weakness of our local defense systems."

As other bloggers note, most of the aircraft hit were manufactured during the Soviet era and will be very difficult to remanufacture or replace.

Conclusion: strategic test or new stage?

Operation "Spider Web" is being assessed not only as a military success for Ukraine, but also as a strategic geopolitical move. The attack on Russia's most important military facilities by drones was a serious signal to the world community. This attack, in addition to limiting Russia's potential for future air strikes, could also increase military-political confidence in Ukraine.

Such military operations against the backdrop of the negotiations will undoubtedly have an impact on the meetings in Istanbul. Ukraine has a number of diplomatic