Operation Spider’s Web: How Russians Were Tricked Into Bombing Themselves
Russian investigators have made public what they’ve managed to put together about yesterday’s historic Ukrainian drone operation that destroyed 41 Russian aircraft.
Operation Spider’s Web was a breakthrough in Ukraine’s campaign of deep strikes—an operation that combined sabotage logistics, deception, and local infiltration to stunning effect. With 117 drones launched from within Russian borders, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) turned the illusion of Russian interior security into a battlefield vulnerability.
The drones were assembled in Chelyabinsk, inside a rented warehouse. Ukrainian operatives—likely supported by embedded agents or sympathetic locals—built First Person View (FPV) drones using materials sourced from within Russia. These strike platforms were hidden inside wooden modular cabins constructed to look like prefabricated houses. Beneath the roof panels, drone bays were concealed between structural beams, with remotely operated opening mechanisms to allow launch on command.
Once sealed, the cabins were loaded onto civilian trucks. The vehicles were then handed over to unwitting Russian drivers, recruited by Artyom, a 37-year-old ethnic Ukrainian who coordinated logistics under the cover of a private construction job.
The drivers were told they were transporting portable homes to regions like Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ryazan, and Ivanovo. Each was given a delivery plan, a route, and a schedule. During transit, a mysterious intermediary would call and issue final location instructions—always near military infrastructure.
Alexander Z., 55, recalled:
“The truck belonged to Artyom. I was hired to deliver prefab houses to the Murmansk region. While en route, a man called me, gave me coordinates, and told me to stop near a Rosneft gas station close to a military base. That’s where the drones took off.”
Andrey M., 61, was told to deliver houses to Irkutsk. He parked at a roadside café.
“Drones just started launching from the back of the truck. I had no idea what I was carrying.”
Sergey, 46, experienced the same:
“Driving through Ryazan, the roof of the cabin tore open. Then the drones launched.”
The fourth truck was sent to Ivanovo. According to reports, the driver did not survive. Witnesses saw smoke and a Russian helicopter hovering over a burning truck. Whether killed by gunfire or the blast, he became an incidental casualty of a war he was tricked into fueling.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the strike damaged 34% of Russia’s strategic bombers, including assets at Belaya, Diaghilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo.The BBC confirmed that drone bays were activated remotely at launch locations, allowing coordinated attacks near these key airfields.
Ukraine bypassed airspace, borders, and radar. It used Russia’s own civilian infrastructure to stage one of the most damaging attacks on the Kremlin’s strategic assets since the war began.
With a rented warehouse, four disguised trucks, and a plan built on Russia’s blind spots, the SBU exposed the hollowness of Moscow’s internal security. The operation didn’t just destroy aircraft—it dismantled the illusion that Russia’s vast interior offers safety.
