Before dawn on June 1, 2025, Ukrainian intelligence and special-operations planners initiated truck-launched first-person-view (FPV) drones they had hidden in trucks delivering goods near four Russian strategic bomber bases scattered across Russia. In a matter of minutes, multiple bombers, including Tu-160, Tu-95, Tu-22Ms, and A-50 early warning aircraft, were burning on their parking stands in what Kyiv code-named Operation Spider Web. According to the Ukrainian president, 117 drones were used in the operation to knock out over 30 percent of Russia’s bomber fleet capable of launching deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities. The raid is a reminder of the enduring utility of special forces during large-scale conventional conflict as well as a call to arms to further help Kyiv deny Russia the ability to sustain a coercive air campaign designed to break Ukraine’s will.
Relative Superiority in the Drone Age: McRaven’s Playbook Meets Ukraine’s Airfield Assaults
