Rare Russian spy planes damaged in Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb, Telegraph reports
At least two A-50 Russian surveillance aircraft were damaged in Ukraine’s June 1 drone strike inside Russia, the Telegraph reported on June 3, citing footage viewed by the publication.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) executed Operation Spiderweb on June 1, targeting four key air bases and destroying around 40 heavy bombers by smuggling trucks of first-person-view (FPV) drones deep inside Russia.
Footage shared with the Telegraph reportedly shows Ukrainian drones hitting two A-50s, rare Russian spy planes that Moscow relies on for several critical functions in its full-scale war against Ukraine.
Drones struck the radar domes of two A-50 aircraft, according to the Telegraph. One plane appeared to be protected by sandbags along its wings, while the other had tires arranged across its airframe.
Open source satellite images from May 2 appear show two A-50s stationed at the Ivanovo air base in Russia’s Ivanovo Oblast, one of the airfields targeted in Operation Spiderweb. The footage shared with the Telegraph makes it clear that these are the same A-50s damaged in the June 1 attack.
The video also reportedly shows several Tupolev bombers in flames after sustaining direct hits from Ukrainian drones.
An SBU source told the Kyiv Independent on June 1 that A-50s were among the aircraft hit in the attack, but the claim could not be verified at the time.
Russia’s A-50s detect air defense systems, guide missiles, and coordinate targets for Russian fighter jets. The aircraft carry an estimated price tag of around $350 million.
They are also extremely rare: Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), said in February 2024 that Moscow only had six A-50s in its arsenal.
Ukraine previously shot down two A-50s in January and February 2024.
Kyiv’s audacious drone strike deep within Russia took 18 months of planning and dealt a major blow to Russia’s fleet of bombers — only days after Moscow launched a series of record-breaking mass aerial attacks against Ukraine.
The SBU reported that the operation caused approximately $7 billion in damages and disabled 34% of cruise missile carriers in key Russian airbases.
The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov