Satellite Images Show Russian Bombers Hit by Ukrainian Drones

Newly captured satellite imagery captures the aftermath of the wide-scale Ukrainian drone attack that targeted multiple Russian airbases on Sunday.

The photos, taken on Wednesday by US commercial satellite imaging company Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider, appear to show damaged and destroyed bomber aircraft at the Belaya airbase in Russia’s central Irkutsk region, more than 2,500 miles from the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine’s internal security agency, known as the SBU, said it used small quadcopter-style drones to strike 41 Russian aircraft. The targeted aircraft included Russian A-50 airborne early warning and control planes, An-12 transport aircraft, Il-78 refueling tankers, and Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers, the agency said.

The SBU said the attack impacted a third of Moscow’s strategic cruise missile carriers and caused over $7 billion in losses.

Beyond Belaya, the operation known as Spiderweb, which was over 18 months in the making, struck three other airbases across Russia: Olenya in the Murmansk region, Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region, and Ivanovo in the Ivanovo region.

Maxar’s images also show what appear to be destroyed aircraft at the northern Olenya base.

Imagery of the airbases captured in the days and weeks leading up to the attack shows that Russia had covered many of its bombers with tires and unidentifiable objects. Moscow also painted fake aircraft on the tarmac and used debris to create decoy planes.

The extensive use of deception has long been seen as an attempt by the Russians to try to confuse Ukrainian weapons systems, like drones and missiles, that are hunting its aircraft. Moscow has used this tactic at its airbases throughout the war.

A ‘unique operation’

The Ukrainian attack on the Russian bases was as audacious as it was complex and far different from any other deep strike Kyiv has carried out during the war.

Planning for the operation started more than a year and a half ago, the SBU shared. The agency transported small, explosive-laden quadcopter drones to Russia, and those were followed by wooden containers that resemble shipping crates. On Russian soil, operatives hid the drones in the containers, which were placed on trucks and driven to positions near the different airbases.

Then, on Sunday, the tops of the containers were remotely opened, and the drones simultaneously flew out to attack their targets in swarms, striking dozens of aircraft. Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, the SBU chief, called it a “devastating blow” to Russian aviation.

Video footage obtained by BI showed several Russian aircraft burning after they had been hit by drones. The bombers, which can travel long distances and carry heavy payloads, have been used in devastating strikes against Ukraine, Kyiv said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 117 first-person view (FPV) drones and as many operators were involved in the operation, which was coordinated in a field office directly next to an FSB headquarters in one of the Russian regions.

“Planning, organization, every detail was perfectly executed. I can say with certainty that this is an absolutely unique operation,” Zelenskyy said. He added that the operatives left Russian territory before the attack and are safe.

The attack further highlights how cheap drones have become an invaluable, asymmetric weapon of war with growing reach. Belaya is farther than any of Ukraine’s previous long-range strikes inside Russia.

BI could not independently verify all the reported details of the operation, including how many aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Russia’s defense ministry has acknowledged the attack but downplayed its severity.

It’s unclear how the attack will impact the Russian bomber fleet in the short and long term. Experts have said that even taking out a handful of the aircraft could have significant implications on Moscow’s strike campaigns, which have intensified in recent weeks.

Zelenskyy said that “before this operation was carried out, we had intelligence indicating that Russia was preparing another massive strike.”