Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the special operation carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) of historic significance, during which more than 40 Russian strategic military aircraft were destroyed. The action was carried out with the involvement of 117 drones, after more than a year and a half of preparation.
Zelensky said that Colonel General Vasyl Malyuk, head of the SBU, briefed him on the details of the operation codenamed “Pavutyina” (i.e. “Spiderweb”). The military action, planned for a year and a half, was allegedly carried out entirely by Ukraine, without any external assistance, according to Kyiv.
“This is an independent Ukrainian operation that will go down in history books,”Zelensky said on Telegram. “Our people who prepared the operation left Russian territory before the action and are now safe,” he added.
The series of attacks that began on May 31 targeted military airfields in at least five Russian regions. The main targets of the attacks were strategic bombers – the long-range missile carriers that form the backbone of the Russian army. It is estimated that 34 percent of Russia’s strategic missile carriers were destroyed during the operation.
Remotely piloted (FPV) drones were smuggled into Russian territory during the operation, which were hidden in mobile wooden frames and delivered to their targets. The “operations office” coordinating the attack was located in the immediate vicinity of one of the regional centers of the FSB, a fact that was publicly confirmed by Zelensky.
The operation was not coordinated in advance by the Ukrainian side with the United States, wrote Axios news outlet, however, this fact is hard to confirm, with many speculating CIA involvement is a real possibility. The SBU estimates that the total value of the destroyed Russian strategic aircraft reaches $7 billion.
According to Zelensky, this action could be a turning point in the Ukrainian-Russian war:
“We can finally see the results of the plans that I approved a year and a half ago. We have deprived the Russians of more than 40 strategic aircraft. And this is just the beginning. The operation is a clear sign that Ukraine is capable of delivering effective strikes deep into the Russian hinterland, not only in a military but also in a symbolic sense,” wrote Zelensky.
Be the first to comment