Ukraine's bold drone strike on Russian bases and lessons it reveals

In one of the most audacious operations of the war, Ukraine on Sunday launched a large-scale drone attack targeting five strategic air bases deep inside Russian territory, destroying multiple combat aircraft on the ground. The strike, part of the ongoing conflict that began in February 2022, has drawn significant interest from global security experts due to its nature and the hard lessons it offers.

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The operation, code-named “Pavutyna” or “Spider’s Web,” aimed to degrade Russia’s long-range strike capabilities, was launched on the eve of anticipated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.

“The Kyiv regime staged a terror attack with the use of first-person view (FPV) drones on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. All terror attacks on military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions were repelled. No casualties were reported either among servicemen or civilians. Some of those involved in the terror attacks were detained,” the Russian defence ministry said.

While Ukraine claimed that 41 Russian aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, were destroyed, Russia acknowledged that several of its aircraft “caught fire” during the attacks. “As a result of the launch of FPV drones from territories in the close proximity to military airfields in the Murmansk and Irkutsk Regions, several aircraft caught fire. The fires were extinguished,” the ministry said.

Which Russian bases were targeted?

Four major airbases and a military unit located up to 4,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border were struck. The attacks aimed to destroy enemy bombers far from the frontlines, that has seen heavy attrition on both sides. Among the aircraft reported to have been hit were the Tu-22M medium-range supersonic bomber and maritime strike aircraft, the Tu-95 turboprop strategic bomber, and the Beriev A-50 airborne command and control system.

The A-50 is also used by the Indian Air Force for aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering and battle space management, while the Indian Navy used the Tu-142, a variant of the Tu-95 designed for maritime surveillance and strike from 1988 to 2017. In the 1990s, there was a move to acquire at least four Tu-22Ms, but it did not materialise.

Bases targeted in Ukraine’s latest drone strike include:

Belaya: A major significant Russian Aerospace Forces Long-Range Aviation base in Irkutsk Oblast, it is 4,200 km from the border with Ukraine and houses Tu-22M medium range nuclear capable bombers.

Dyagilevo: Located in Ryazan Oblast, Russia, about 520 km from Ukraine, it is a training base for Russia's strategic bomber force and also houses midair refueling aircraft. It has been attacked by Ukranian drones before.

Olenya: Located on the Kola Peninsula near Murmansk in the Arctic Circle, more than 2,000 km from Ukraine, it is a major Russian Navy reconnaissance base. The Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers are also reported to operate from this base.

Ivanovo: It is a transport bases located more than 800 km from Ukraine in the Ivanovo Oblast, north-east of Moscow. It was the first Russian base to receive the Il-76 transport aircraft and at present A-50 AWACS operate from there.

Sridni: A military unit based in Sridni village located in the Irkutsk region lying to the north of central Mongolia, was also hit by Ukrainian drones, marking the first such attack in Siberia.

How the attack was executed?

The operation, launched under the special code name “Pavutyna” (or “Spider Web”), aimed to degrade Russia’s long-range strike capabilities, according to the Ukrainian publication Pravda.

The plan to carry out the attacks were reportedly initiated by Ukraine about one-and-a-half-year ago, with its intelligence agency, SBU, being the lead organisation for the mission. The operation has been described by experts as extremely complicated from a logistical point of view.

A total of 117 drones were used. These were smuggled into Russia and hidden in mobile wooden containers mounted on cargo trucks and at specified times, the roofs were opened remotely, enabling the drones to launch and target the chosen bases. Ukrainian military officials involved in the operation are said to have been withdrawn from Russian territory in time.

According to reports, Russia's defence ministry has acknowledged that the drones were not launched from Ukrainian territory, but from locations situated very close to the targeted bases. This suggests that small sized drones were used.

Ukraine, which lacks Russia's vast arsenal of missiles, has instead built up a large fleet of different types of low-cost attack drones, which it has used to attack Russian military bases, railway network and oil facilities in the past.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed that the attack produced an absolutely brilliant result. He added that what was more interesting is that the “office” of the operation on Russian territory was located directly next to headquarters of the FSB, Russia’s intelligence agency, in one of their regions.

Many videos have emerged on social media showing the drones launching, about to strike parked aircraft and billowing smoke and flames. Satellite images have also been released that show damaged aircraft at Russian bases.

Proposing a full and unconditional ceasefire following the attack, and calling for all rational steps that could lead to a lasting and reliable peace, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would continue its offensive.

Lessons for India

Military experts say that the latest drone attack by Ukraine also has lessons for India, which had engaged in a military confrontation with arch-rival Pakistan in May, during which drones and missiles were used to target numerous civilian and military sites in India. This is the contemporary form of warfare where drones are increasingly dominating the battle space.

During the four-day confrontation, known as Operation Sindoor, places as far from the border as Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur in Punjab witnessed drone attacks, though Indian air defence had managed to neutralise most of the drones and missiles launched from Pakistan.

The proliferation of drones in the sub-continent is well known and these are widely being used to smuggle narcotics, arms and ammunition and fake currency from Pakistan. During Operation Sindoor, there were intelligence inputs that some small hostile drones may have been launched from within India.

Sources said that even after India’s 2019 airstrikes on terrorist camps in Balakot, located in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, several unidentified drones were reported flying near the Srinagar airbase. The use of drones as a tool for terror strikes can occur without any prior warning.