How daring drone strike took out $7bn of Russian bombers

A Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airbases destroyed billions of dollars worth of Russian aircraft stationed at bases across the country, including locations as far away as Siberia, in what Kyiv said was its longest-range assault of the war.

- Artem Mazhulin and Oliver Holmes

The spectacular operation, known as Spiderweb, was prepared in secret over 18 months. Ukraine’s agents moved short-range drones and explosives inside Russia before they were launched remotely for a coordinated attack last Sunday that was intended to strike a blow against Moscow’s air superiority.

Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), said drones had been smuggled into Russia and placed inside containers, which were later loaded onto trucks. With the trucks positioned near Russian bases, the roof panels of the containers had been lifted off by a remotely activated mechanism, allowing the drones to fly out and begin their attack.