Operation Spiderweb: One Year Later - by Olena Kryzhanivska
AI Analysis
Operation Spiderweb, conducted by Ukraine's SBU in June 2025, inflicted significant damage on Russia's long-range aviation, reportedly destroying or damaging a substantial portion of their Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, A-50, and Il-78 aircraft. The operation utilized FPV drones, specifically the First Contact 'Osa' model with AI-assisted targeting, delivered via truck-mounted launches, demonstrating a novel asymmetric warfare tactic.
Key Takeaways
- Operation Spiderweb targeted 34% of Russia’s long-range aviation at Engels, Olenya, and Belaya airfields.
- Approximately 15 Tu-95MS strategic bombers (around 25% of the fleet) were reportedly lost.
- Russia’s use of Tu-95MS for strikes against Ukraine decreased by 20-30% post-operation, and Tu-22M3 usage became rare.
- The operation utilized First Contact’s ‘Osa’ FPV drones, featuring reinforced frames and AI-based targeting.
- The SBU estimates Russia’s losses at $7 billion, but the irreplaceable loss of aircraft is the greater strategic impact.
Why It Matters
Operation Spiderweb highlights the vulnerability of even strategic assets to relatively inexpensive drone swarms, demonstrating a shift in power dynamics in modern warfare. This operation serves as a case study for other nations, including the US, regarding the potential for asymmetric drone attacks and the need for improved airbase defense. The successful integration of AI for terminal guidance represents a significant advancement in drone warfare capabilities.
Operation Spiderweb: One Year Later - by Olena Kryzhanivska
Ukraine's Arms Monitor
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Drone Warfare in Ukraine
Operation Spiderweb: One Year Later
Remote Drone Warfare
Jun 02, 2026
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Operation Spiderweb is a manual in asymmetric warfare. In June 2025, many of us were stunned by videos showing hundreds of small FPV drones striking Russian strategic aircraft one by one. Over the past year, I have published several reports and summarized a number of articles on Operation Spiderweb.
Today, I will recap some of this information, complement it with recent updates, and present the emerging concept of remote drone warfare.
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I’ll start this post with an excellent summary by the 413th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine:
On June 1, 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted the unique Operation Spiderweb, reportedly targeting 34% of Russia’s long-range aviation, including Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 cruise missile carriers, A-50 airborne early warning aircraft, and Il-78 tanker aircraft.
The operation was remarkable not only because of the scale of Russian losses, but also because of the method used. Trucks carrying camouflaged FPV strike drones approached key Russian strategic aviation airfields, including Engels, Olenya, and Belaya. The drones then struck the aircraft from extremely close range. In the Amur region, the plan failed when the drone-bearing truck bound for Russia’s Ukrainka base caught fire on the highway.
According to open-source reports, the strike involved First Contact’s Osa FPV drones, which are known for their reinforced frame and AI-based targeting system.
Russia tried to conceal the scale of its losses, as the strike targeted its strategic aviation and reportedly affected nearly a third of Russia’s strategic aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Open-source information suggests that Russia may have lost up to 15 Tu-95MS strategic bombers, or around a quarter of its entire fleet of this aircraft type.
As a result, Russia’s use of Tu-95MS aircraft for strikes against Ukraine reportedly declined by at least 20–30%.
The use of Tu-22M3 bombers after Operation Spiderweb became very rare — roughly once every six months — likely due to losses sustained during the operation.
The SBU estimated Russia’s losses at around $7 billion. However, the financial cost is not the main issue: Russia can no longer produce new Tu-95MS or Tu-22M3 aircraft, meaning any losses of these platforms are irreversible.
Operation Spiderweb also served as a warning to the United States. It demonstrated that even American strategic aviation could potentially be disabled by simple AI-enabled FPV drones, making Ukraine’s combat experience especially valuable.
Finally, Operation Spiderweb became a kind of prologue to the wider use of artificial intelligence in the current drone war.
(AI technologies were reportedly used for terminal guidance. Among other methods, the AI was traine