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The Genius – and the Implications – of Ukraine’s ‘Spider Web’ Drone Assault

Beyond the damage to Russia’s military, experts see a stunning intelligence win for Ukraine

The Genius – and the Implications – of Ukraine’s ‘Spider Web’ Drone Assault
A Tu-95 bomber aircraft takes off for a night patrol flies out of Engels-2 airbase on August 7, 2008 in Engels, Russia. (Photo by Wojtek Laski/Getty Images)

DEEP DIVE – Ukraine’s drone attacks against five Russian military bases on Sunday didn’t just take out a third of Moscow’s fleet of strategic bomber aircraft; they landed surprise blows to the Kremlin deep inside Russian territory, and showed what experts called a stunning level of intelligence and operational skill on the part of the Ukrainians.

Kyiv began launching more than 100 drones against Russian air bases on Sunday morning, destroying 41 strategic bombers – including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers that regularly carry cruise missiles that have been used to devastating effect against Ukrainian cities. Officials say the operation also destroyed A-50 planes, which are used to detect enemy aircraft and missiles, and provide intelligence on targets to Russian fighter jets. Kyiv estimated the damage inflicted by the brazen operation at $ 7 billion.

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