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Ukraine Executes ‘Longest Range Operation’ Striking Russian Air Bases with FPV Drones

Published on: June 2, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Stefano D'Urso Stefano D'Urso
Ukrainian FPV drone attack
A screengrab from the videos of the Ukrainian FPV drones striking Tu-95 bombers in Russia. (Image credit: X/Telegram)

After one and a half years of preparation, Ukrainian personnel hiding deep inside Russia conducted an unprecedented attack with 117 drones which destroyed multiple bombers.

The Security Service of Ukraine conducted an unprecedented attack with First Person View (FPV) drones against air bases deep inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defined this the “most long-range operation” of the Ukrainian military, which saw “117 drones” striking “34% of the strategic cruise missile carriers” at the Russian bases.

Contents
After one and a half years of preparation, Ukrainian personnel hiding deep inside Russia conducted an unprecedented attack with 117 drones which destroyed multiple bombers.Operation WebThe reactionsHow it went downThe aftermath

Operation Web

The first reports about this attack, dubbed operation “Web,” surfaced online around at the same time the Telegram channel of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) posted a short message:

“40 aircraft of the strategic aviation of the Russian Federation were damaged during the SBU special operation.

The Security Service of Ukraine is conducting a large-scale special operation to destroy bomber aircraft in the rear of the Russian Federation. SBU drones hit more than 40 aircraft, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3, causing more than $2 billion in damage.”

Quickly, multiple videos went viral, allegedly showing the video feed recorded by the FPV drones as they struck multiple Russian aircraft on the ground. Most of these videos showed Tu-95 bombers being struck, with the drones specifically targeting areas such as the fuel tanks or external weapons to achieve maximum effect.

Among the airbases targeted were Belaya in the Irkutsk oblast, Olenya in the Murmansk oblast, Dyagilevo in the Ryazan oblast, Ivanovo in Ivanovo oblast and Ukrainka in the Amur oblast. The latter however was not hit.

The reactions

Following the attack, the Ukrainian President released a statement on its social media channels to address the nation and explain what happened.

Today, a brilliant operation was carried out — on enemy territory, targeting only military objectives, specifically the equipment used to strike Ukraine. Russia suffered significant losses — entirely justified and deserved.

The preparation took over a year and a half. Planning, organisation, every detail was perfectly executed. It can be said with confidence that this was an absolutely unique operation.

What’s most interesting, and this can now be stated publicly, is that the “office” of our operation on Russian territory was located directly next to FSB headquarters in one of their regions.

In total, 117 drones were used in the operation with a corresponding number of drone operators involved. 34% of the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at air bases were hit. Our people operated across several Russian regions — in three different time zones. And the people who assisted us were withdrawn from Russian territory before the operation, they are now safe.

It’s genuinely satisfying when something I authorized a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation. We will continue this work.

Even before this operation was carried out, we had intelligence indicating that Russia was preparing another massive strike. It is very important for all our people not to ignore the air raid alerts.

Last night, there were nearly 500 Russian drones, attack drones. Each week, they have been increasing the number of units used per strike. Now, they have also prepared Kalibr missiles launched from naval carriers. We know exactly who we are dealing with. We will defend ourselves by all means available to us – to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

Not for a single second did we want this war. We offered the Russians a ceasefire. Since March 11, the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire has been on the table. It was the Russians who chose to continue the war – even under conditions where the entire world is calling for an end to the killing.

Pressure is truly needed, pressure on Russia that should bring it back to reality. Pressure through sanctions. Pressure from our forces. Pressure through diplomacy. All of it must work together.

Today, also I held an extended meeting with Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Head of the Presidential Office, our intelligence chiefs, and military leadership. We discussed what exactly we expect from the meeting in Istanbul on Monday.

We continue to propose a full and unconditional ceasefire, along with all rational and dignified steps that could lead to a lasting and reliable peace. The Ukrainian proposal we presented to the Russians is logical and realistic.

The Russians, however, have not shared their “memorandum” with anyone — we don’t have it, the Turkish side doesn’t have it, and the American side doesn’t have the Russian document either. Despite this, we will try to achieve at least some progress on the path toward peace.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also released a statement on its Telegram channel, confirming the attack.

Today, the Kyiv regime committed a terrorist attack using FPV drones against airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions.

At military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions, all terrorist attacks were repelled.

In the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, as a result of the launch of FPV drones from the territory located in the immediate vicinity of the airfields, several units of aircraft caught fire.

The fires have been extinguished. There are no casualties among military personnel or civilian personnel.

Some of the participants in the terrorist attacks have been detained.

How it went down

Given the extremely long distances, the drones could not fly to their targets from Ukraine. Instead, they were launched directly outside the perimeter of their targets, transported by trucks.

These trucks were seemingly modified with a hidden compartment on the roof where the drones were stored. Once near the designated targets, the container roof would slide off to let the drones out.

The preparation work appears to have been conducted directly in Russia. Zelenskyy  went as far as saying the base of the operation “was located directly next to FSB headquarters in one of their regions.”

Russian milbloggers, using the photos of the drones in the containers before the attack and an ad for a warehouse’s rental, located a possible base in Chelyabinsk, near the border with Kazakhstan. The warehouse was later raided by the Russian FSB, although it is unclear what they might have found.

Ukrainian sources say an “SBU agent group covertly transported 150 small attack drones and 300 munitions into Russia” to prepare for the operation, although only 177 were launched. The photos that emerged online showed at least eight wooden containers, disguised as standard 20 ft ISO containers.

Not all of them appear to have reached their target, as the truck supposedly transporting the drones near Ukrainka Air Base caught fire. That would account for 30 drones out of the total 150 that were not launched, as the images showed about 30 drones in each container.

The other three missing drones might have been lost due to the action of Russian citizens. In fact, video showed Russians in a petrol station climbing on top of one of the trucks as it launched the FPV drones, in an attempt to stop them. The truck was later seen burning.

Contrary to the current trend in Ukraine where most Ukrainian and Russian drones use fiber optic to receive their commands, Ukrainian sources say the “drones were controlled via Russian telecommunications networks, with automated guidance systems.” The level of automation involved is unclear, as Zelenskyy mentioned in its statement that an operator was assigned to each drone.

The operation was prepared meticulously, determining in advance not only the location of the aircraft to be attacked, but also the precise points to target on the airframes to achieve maximum damage. Among these points were fuel tanks in the wings and exposed weapons on the external pylons.

The aftermath

It is not possible to conduct an accurate battle damage assessment (BDA), as it can be difficult to verify the claims by both parties. However, multiple sources, including photos, videos, satellite and syntetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, are helping open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts to draw an overview of the situation.

So far, out of the 40 aircraft claimed to be hit by Ukrainian sources, OSINT verified that six Tu-95 and four Tu-22M were destroyed, with an additional Tu-95 and an An-12 damaged (check out the X post below for further details). Andriy Kovalenko of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation claimed “at least 13 Russian aircraft have been destroyed, and more have been damaged.”

Security measures have been allegedly increased, with reports about road blocks and inspections of all trucks in an effort to find other drones.

There are also reports about people, claimed to be the drivers of the drone-carrier trucks, being arrested, as well as another one found dead. Zelenskyy previously mentioned that all Ukrainian personnel involved in the operation already left Russia by the time the attack was launched.

The drivers were allegedly Russians, who were hired to transport “prefabricated houses.” They reportedly said to Russian investigators that were all hired by the same person and received precise instructions on when and where to stop along their route.

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By Stefano D'Urso
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Stefano D'Urso is a freelance journalist and contributor to TheAviationist based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in Industral Engineering he's also studying to achieve a Master Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Electronic Warfare, Loitering Munitions and OSINT techniques applied to the world of military operations and current conflicts are among his areas of expertise.
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