Operation Spider Web: Ukraine’s covert strike exposes Russian corruption and drunkenness

In a recent interview, Vasyl Malyuk, head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), revealed new details about Operation Spider Web, a daring Ukrainian drone attack launched deep inside Russian territory on 1 June. The operation targeted Russian air bases, destroying or severely damaging several strategic bombers and other aircraft.

Malyuk described the logistical challenges as formidable, particularly smuggling equipment into Russia under stringent sanctions on cross-border transport.

“It was an incredibly complex project – we went through seven circles of hell,” he said.

Planned in secrecy for 18 months by the SBU and coordinated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Operation Spider Web caught the world by surprise. The operation involved nearly 120 drones smuggled near five Russian air bases – Murmansk, Ryazan, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, and Amur – inside trucks disguised as shipping containers or wooden mobile homes with remotely operated roofs that released the drones.

The SBU reported that the attacks damaged or destroyed over 40 combat and reconnaissance aircraft. Malyuk revealed that the operation drew inspiration from the smuggling tactics of international drug cartels, which the SBU had studied before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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“We closely analysed how they move illicit goods to evade border controls and customs,” he explained.

Widespread corruption in Russia’s customs service facilitated the operation, Malyuk noted, allowing Ukrainian agents to bypass inspections. However, the mission faced delays due to unexpected setbacks.

Originally planned before Russia’s Victory Day on 9 May, the operation was postponed because Russian drivers, critical to the logistics, were incapacitated by heavy drinking during spring holidays.

“We couldn’t reach our contacts in Russia. One disappeared, another didn’t show up. They celebrated 1 May, then 9 May. We lost a month,” Malyuk said.

The operation nearly failed when a Ukrainian undercover agent accidentally opened the roof of a mobile home containing drones, exposing them to a hired Russian truck driver. The team averted disaster by claiming the equipment was for monitoring wildlife and combating poaching. The driver, a 63-year-old unfamiliar with modern technology, accepted the explanation – bolstered by an extra payment, Malyuk added.

Caption: A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows Tupolev Tu-95 aircrafts destroyed following a series of Ukrainian drone strikes at the Belaya Airbase in Russia, 04 June 2025. Ukraine on 01 June 2025 carried out drone strikes on two Russian air bases. EPA/MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES HANDOUT