The Cobweb operationplanned for a year and a half by the Ukraine Safety Service (SBU)hit five air bases of Russia: Belayalocated in the Irkutsk Oblast, in Eastern Siberia; Dialogue, Located in Riazán’s Oblast, southeast of Moscow; Ivánovo Sévernyin the Oblast of Ivánovo, to the northeast of Moscow; OLENYAin the Múmansk Oblast, in the northwest end of Russia; and Ukrainkalocated in Amur’s brain, in the distant Russian East.
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:quality(75)/d2q2xcgw42pqkv.cloudfront.net/config/src/elcomercio/cortadores/img/vuelta_al_mundo.png "What the satellite images reveal about the damage caused by Ukraine to Russia in the bold web operation (and what would retaliate be like) 1")
In your attack, Ukraine launched 117 FPV drones that came out from trucks conditioned that had been positioned near the aforementioned air bases.
Satellite images of Maxar Technologies collected on June 4 indicate that attacks with drones They destroyed at least four TU-22 bomber and three TU-95 bombers at the air base of Belaya.
Satellite image facilitated by Maxar Technologies shows a TUPOLEV TU-22 plane destroyed at the Belaya Air Base, Russia, on June 4, 2025. (EFE).
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A satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows TUPOLEV TU-95 aircraft destroyed at the Belaya Air Base, Russia, on June 4, 2025. (EFE).
This satellite image of Maxar Technologies, published on June 4, 2025, shows Tupolev Tu-22 aircraft destroyed at the Belaya Air Base, in the Irkutsk Oblast. (AFP).
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According to BBC Mundo, repair or replace these planes will be extremely difficult, because they do not occur from the fall of the Soviet Union More than 30 years ago.
While the Ukrainian intelligence group from open sources Avivector He published satellite images, also from Maxar, who indicate that in the air base of OLENYA The Ukrainian drones destroyed four TU-95ms bombers and an AN-12 transport plane.
A satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows TUPOLEV TU-95 aircraft destroyed after a series of Ukrainian drones attacks against the Olenya Air Base, Russia. (EFE).
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Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft before and after the drone attack to the Olenya Air Base, in the Murmansk region, Russia. (AFP).
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For its part, the SBU published new images on June 4 where they look drones approaching the wings, sides, the top and lower part of the Russian airplanes in several airfields.
SBU said its drones They hit Strategic A-50 Aircraft of early alert and air control (AWACS)TU-95 and TU-160 strategic bombers, TU-22 supersonic bombers, AP-12 transport aircraft and IL-78 tank aircraft in the air bases attacked. He also confirmed that drones They hit a total of 41 Russian aircraft.
Drones with artificial intelligence
The drones used in the operation against the strategic aircraft of Russia.
He Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in his Wednesday report that Ukrainian special services used artificial intelligence (AI) to direct drones during the web operation.
The SBU confirmed that some drones lost the signal during the flight and then went on their missions using a pre -replaced route. Explosive charges were automatically activated when reaching the designated objectives.
Both Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky like him SBU They indicated that Russia cannot restore half of the aircraft attacked or that will take years to do so.
At this point, it should be noted that since 2022 Russia has been using his Strategic bombers To launch cruise missiles against Ukraine. But after the web operation, it is believed that it will choose to use more ballistic drones and missiles and less cruise missiles.
A retaliation with unconventional weapons?
Russian soldiers carry an Iskander missile in a mobile pitcher during military exercises in Russia. (Russian / AP Defense Ministry).
on Wednesday Putin He said that the Ukrainian attack will have an answer, while on Thursday the Kremlin He assured that It will be the military who decide how and when there will be retaliation.
Andrés Gómez de la Torrespecialist in defense and intelligence issues, he told Commerce that the Cobweb operation has strengthened the position of Ukraine before an eventual negotiation with Russia. In addition, he indicated that kyiv wants to demonstrate to the United States that he is in force on the battlefield, that he needs to continue receiving weapons and that it is unfeasible for Washington to interpret that Ukraine was already defeated.
“You have to wait for retaliation, I think it will not be with tactical nuclear weaponsbut with the use of ballistic missiles, particularly the Iskander modernized, and the new Orshnikbut both with conventional heads. It is very difficult for Putin to risk using tactical nuclear weapons, but there is no doubt that it will answer, because it is a subject of prestige and national soul ”he said.
The analyst said the reprisal Russian in the short term will slowly slow down the possibility of a negotiated departure from the conflict.
He explained that The Ukrainian action will not weaken the Russian advance in the Terrestrial War Frontwhere he continues to conquer locations. What will affect are in -depth air attacks.
Gómez de la Torre indicated that the success of the Telaraña operation too evidence a great failure of Russian military counterintelligenceso they will have to roll heads.
“There must be an internal review of Russian counterintelligence because the country has been violated and penetrated in depth by an enemy operation”accurate.
“Russian counterintelligence had to detect and neutralize this sabotage, because it was basically a sabotage that has been done in Russian territory, and that is why the Russians have called it terrorism. It is not an operation, say, raised in conventional terms with the use of aerial media. But Definitely the use of these quite cheap drones and that have an important effect on the battlefield revolutionizes the conception of war “.
Gómez de la Torre pointed out that when hitting the long -range capacity of the Russian Air Force, Ukraine also gives a respite to Western Europe, which has quite difficult relations with the Russians and where the possibility of an attack by the Putin forces from here to 2030 is feared.
