Russia Humiliated, While Spiderweb Points to Future of Modern Warfare

Ukraine's 'Spiderweb' drone strike redefined warfare, crippling Russia's bombers with cheap tech, showcasing future combat's precision, autonomy, and low-cost disruption.

- JOHN DOBSON

The operation mounted by Ukraine last Sunday was nothing short of spectacular. Some 117 drones, modified from the type of $500 consumer models that normally film weddings, destroyed or disabled a large number of critical Russian bombers valued at about $7 billion. Some were wrecked as far away as 4,300 kms. At a stroke, Kyiv proved that you can cripple a major power's air force for the price of a family car, changing the face of warfare forever. So, what happened?

Kyiv's large-scale drone attack, codenamed "Spiderweb", targeted the strategic aircraft that Russia uses for long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Some 41 heavy bombers were reportedly destroyed or damaged, which the Ukrainians are confident will hinder Russia's ability to carry out mass strikes on their country in the future. In conventional military doctrine, the destruction of so many strategic aircraft would be planned as part of a multi-million-dollar operation using long-range missiles, probably involving an aircraft carrier and risking the lives of pilots, rather similar to what the US and UK have been doing in recent attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. But Ukraine has achieved a dramatic strategic impact using cheaply produced quad copters similar to those that can be purchased on the streets of any Indian city.