New Drone Footage Reveals Ukraines Impact on Russian Air Power in Operation Spiders Web

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has shared four minutes of video footage from its Operation Spider’s Web drone attacks conducted on Sunday, which reportedly inflicted damage on aircraft located over 4,000 kilometers away from Ukraine.

The SBU asserts that it successfully destroyed 41 military aircraft valued at over $7 billion, although independent sources have yet to verify these claims. Nevertheless, the newly released footage raises questions about the narrative from Moscow and highlights the scale of Ukraine’s operation, executed with more than 100 low-cost drones that were smuggled into the country and launched from modified shipping containers.

On the day of the strikes, Russia’s Defense Ministry downplayed the reported damages, stating that they had thwarted three out of five attempted attacks. While Ukraine admitted to not being successful in the assault on the Ukrainka base in the Amur region, the video released on Wednesday indicates that Ukrainian drones successfully penetrated four other airbases.

The Moscow Times analyzed the footage and recognized the types of aircraft that were targeted, revealing burning planes at two different sites while Ukrainian drones approached the jets’ most vulnerable areas.

However, the clip does not specify the total number of aircraft impacted, their operational status, or their current conditions.

A report from May 2025 indicated that an airfield near Russia’s borders with Finland and Iceland housed 11 Tu-95 bombers, some of which had been relocated from the Engels-2 air base in the Saratov region following previous Ukrainian air strikes.

These large Soviet-era bombers were originally designed for carrying nuclear weapons but are now outfitted with up to 16 cruise missiles aimed at Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian drones targeted the wings of the Tu-95s, identified as the aircraft’s weak points. Since Russia no longer manufactures these bombers, replacing them would pose significant challenges.

The drones also aimed at the fuselage of Tu-22M3 bombers, which represents another critical vulnerability.

In addition, Ukrainian drones attacked an An-12 cargo plane. Like various other aircraft at Russian air bases, its wings were shielded with tires, intended not to protect against drone impacts but rather to confuse AI targeting systems by making recognition more difficult, according to Schyler Moore, the chief technology officer at U.S. Central Command.

Two clips depicted drones descending onto the mushroom-shaped radar domes of two A-50s parked close together before the feeds were interrupted. One aircraft had its wings covered in tires, while the other was shielded with what appeared to be sandbags. There is no further footage showing the condition of these aircraft afterwards.

The domes, measuring 9 meters wide, encompass powerful radar systems that identify incoming threats like Ukrainian missiles and aircraft. A-50s play a vital role in target identification and coordinating Russian air operations.

The Moscow Times could not independently affirm whether these A-50s were operational. If they were, the Ukrainian strikes could inflict substantial damage on Russia, given Moscow’s limited number of A-50 aircraft. In February 2024, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian army’s intelligence division, noted that Russia had only six of these $350 million planes and that two A-50s had been shot down by Ukraine earlier in the year.

Dyagilevo airbase functions as both a training and aircraft repair facility. The U.S.-based think tank CSIS reported that the SBU deliberately targeted such locations to disrupt Russia’s logistics and crew readiness, which may have a longer-lasting effect on Russia’s air force capabilities than merely destroying aircraft.

High-resolution satellite imagery assessed by The War Zone showed no immediate signs of damage to aircraft at the base, although shrapnel damage may be less visible in such images.

The images did indicate scorched grass, corroborated by the SBU’s footage, which displayed clouds of grey smoke, hinting at drone impacts.

Screenshots of the Tu-22M3 jets reveal burned grass, possibly ignited by Ukrainian quadcopter drones. Russia has ceased production of these jets, which can carry up to 16 Kh-22 missiles that travel at speeds of 4,000 kilometers per hour.

The strike on the Belaya base, situated north of Irkutsk in eastern Siberia, represents the most successful and far-reaching attack of the operation.

Both open-source footage from the day of the attack and the SBU’s video show thick smoke billowing from damaged aircraft.

The Belaya airbase is home to the 220th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment operating Tu-22M3 bombers, some of which are visible in the footage, and also harbors an unspecified number of Tu-95s.

Analysts suggest that the losses incurred by Russia from Operation Spider’s Web will not significantly alter the frontline situation, where Russian forces are gradually making gains against Ukrainian defenses. However, these losses will diminish Russia’s capacity for long-range missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Additionally, the attacks send a clear message that no location within Russia can be considered entirely safe.

Katarzyna Zysk, an international relations and contemporary history professor at the Norwegian Defense Academy, commented to The Moscow Times on Sunday, stating, «The successful targeting of such high-value assets sends a strong psychological and symbolic message regarding Ukraine’s ability to impose costs on Russia. Strikes deep within Russian territory undermine Moscow’s image of unassailable military power and the Kremlin’s control.»

«Over the past 15 years, Russia has attempted to develop a new generation of strategic bombers, but these programs have consistently faced delays. Consequently, Moscow has focused on modernizing its aging fleet, which is now significantly weakened by Ukraine’s effective attacks,» she further added.