Updated
A Bloomberg source estimates the number of damaged aircraft to be closer to 10, rather than the 41 reported by Ukrainian officials.
The New York Times, citing American and European security officials, reports that damage assessments are still underway, but according to the paper’s sources, around 20 aircraft may have sustained serious damage—including six Tu-95 and four Tu-22M strategic bombers, as well as an A-50 airborne early warning and control plane.
Kyiv is continuing to expand the geographical scope of its strikes on Russian military infrastructure. On the night of June 8–9, a large-scale operation—codenamed "Spider Web"—targeted multiple airbases deep inside Russia, including in the Ryazan, Murmansk, Irkutsk, and Ivanovo regions. The information comes from sources within Ukrainian intelligence services.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the targets were airbases hosting strategic aviation aircraft—Tu-95, Tu-22M3 bombers, and an A-50 airborne early warning and control plane. The SBU claims that 41 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. However, sources and analysts at Bloomberg and The New York Times, relying on satellite imagery analysis, estimate Russian losses at between 9 and 20 aircraft.
Strike on Belaya Airbase. This base hosts Russia’s strategic aviation.
Moment of drone launch from a truck in Irkutsk region.
The strike is particularly significant given that the Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 have long been out of production and cannot be replaced. This makes the attack not only tactically effective but strategically damaging for the Russian military.
Olenya Airbase in Murmansk region after the Ukrainian drone strike.