How did Ukraine destroy Russian strategic bombers without sending a single soldier across the border?
Timeline for Spiderweb
Ukraine hits Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt
Russia-Ukraine War 2026Background
Operation Spiderweb was a Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) covert operation on 1 June 2025 that destroyed or damaged Russian strategic bombers at Engels-2 and Diaghilevo airfields using pre-positioned explosive devices. It was the largest single strike on Russian long-range aviation in the full-scale war.
The operation's first anniversary on 1 June 2026 served as the framing anchor for Ukraine's ongoing deep-strike campaign. The Kronstadt naval drone wave on 6 June 2026, hitting the Baltic Fleet's home base, was described in Ukrainian commentary as a Spiderweb-lineage operation, showing Ukraine's continued capacity to strike strategic Russian assets hundreds of kilometres from the front.
What was Operation Spiderweb and how did Ukraine pull it off?
Which Russian bombers were destroyed in Operation Spiderweb?
How far inside Russia is Engels airfield from Ukraine?
Why is the Spiderweb anniversary significant in June 2026?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 9 June 2026. Editorial standards.