Ukrainian drones – 117 of them, each costing just $400 – destroyed 41 Russian military aircraft collectively worth $7bn in a covert operation over the weekend.
This triumph of Ukrainian ingenuity is a PR coup as leaked drone footage is shared and reshared on social media, and lapped up by the rolling news bulletins around the globe.
Over a third of Russian bombers out-of-action
Ukraine said it has taken out 34% of Russia’s bomber fleet, including several TU-95 bomber planes – a Soviet era aircraft, one of which famously approached UK airspace in 2014.
The operation, code-named Operation Spiderweb, saw drones – the kind you might see in a high street shop but with expert modifications by ingenious Ukrainian service personnel -transported into the Russian state on the back of lorries, before being deployed to at least four Russian bases to create havoc.
$7bn of damage
Estimates believe the damage amounts to around £7bn, significantly harming Russia’s strategic bomber capabilities as well as Moscow’s pride.
Ukraine’s ability to conduct effective strikes deep within Russian territory has been clearly proven by the operation and highlighted clear flaws within Russia’s air defences.
The operation has also underscored the shift in modern warfare to low-cost, high-tech drones becoming a replacement for traditional, high-cost aircraft and missiles in inflicting critical blows to enemy infrastructure and assets.
Overseen by Zelenkskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly oversaw the operation, which took 18 months of planning by the SBU (Ukraine’s Security Service).
Ukraine gave the US administration no prior notice of the attack, demonstrating a shift towards greater independence in Ukraine’s decision-making process.
Russian reaction
Putin has called the attacks a “terrorist act” while simultaneously carrying out its own attacks against Ukraine using drones and missiles.
Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. Peace talks are taking place, but have yet to make any significant progress.
