Before and after satellite images show the damage swarms of exploding Ukrainian drones inflicted on Russia's bombers

Ukraine carried out a massive drone attack on Russian airbases on Sunday.
Kyiv said dozens of Russian aircraft, including its strategic bombers, were struck.
New satellite imagery appears to show extensive damage at two of the airbases that were attacked.
Newly captured satellite imagery captures the aftermath of the wide-scale Ukrainian drone attack that targeted multiple Russian airbases on Sunday.
The photos, taken on Wednesday by US commercial satellite imaging company Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider, appear to show damaged and destroyed bomber aircraft at the Belaya airbase in Russia's central Irkutsk region, more than 2,500 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine's internal security agency, known as the SBU, said it used small quadcopter-style drones to strike 41 Russian aircraft. The targeted aircraft included Russian A-50 airborne early warning and control planes, An-12 transport aircraft, Il-78 refueling tankers, and Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers, the agency said.
The SBU said the attack impacted a third of Moscow's strategic cruise missile carriers and caused over $7 billion in losses.
Beyond Belaya, the operation known as Spiderweb, which was over 18 months in the making, struck three other airbases across Russia: Olenya in the Murmansk region, Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region, and Ivanovo in the Ivanovo region.
Maxar's images also show what appear to be destroyed aircraft at the northern Olenya base.
Imagery of the airbases captured in the days and weeks leading up to the attack shows that Russia had covered many of its bombers with tires and unidentifiable objects. Moscow also painted fake aircraft on the tarmac and used debris to create decoy planes.
The extensive use of deception has long been seen as an attempt by the Russians to try to confuse Ukrainian weapons systems, like drones and missiles, that are hunting its aircraft. Moscow has used this tactic at its airbases throughout the war.
The Ukrainian attack on the Russian bases was as audacious as it was complex and far different from any other deep strike Kyiv has carried out during the war.
Planning for the operation started more than a year and a half ago, the SBU shared. The agency transported small, explosive-laden quadcopter drones to Russia, and those were followed by wooden containers that resemble shipping crates. On Russian soil, operatives hid the drones in the containers, which were placed on trucks and driven to positions near the different airbases.
Then, on Sunday, the tops of the containers were remotely opened, and the drones simultaneously flew out to attack their targets in swarms, striking dozens of aircraft. Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, the SBU chief, called it a "devastating blow" to Russian aviation.
Video footage obtained by BI showed several Russian aircraft burning after they had been hit by drones. The bombers, which can travel long distances and carry heavy payloads, have been used in devastating strikes against Ukraine, Kyiv said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 117 first-person view (FPV) drones and as many operators were involved in the operation, which was coordinated in a field office directly next to an FSB headquarters in one of the Russian regions.
"Planning, organization, every detail was perfectly executed. I can say with certainty that this is an absolutely unique operation," Zelenskyy said. He added that the operatives left Russian territory before the attack and are safe.
The attack further highlights how cheap drones have become an invaluable, asymmetric weapon of war with growing reach. Belaya is farther than any of Ukraine's previous long-range strikes inside Russia.
BI could not independently verify all the reported details of the operation, including how many aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Russia's defense ministry has acknowledged the attack but downplayed its severity.
It's unclear how the attack will impact the Russian bomber fleet in the short and long term. Experts have said that even taking out a handful of the aircraft could have significant implications on Moscow's strike campaigns, which have intensified in recent weeks.
Zelenskyy said that "before this operation was carried out, we had intelligence indicating that Russia was preparing another massive strike."
Read the original article on Business Insider

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Newsweek

32 minutes ago

• Newsweek

NATO Scrambles Fighter Jets To Intercept Russian Bombers

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sweden scrambled military aircraft in response to Russian fighter jets spotted over the southern parts of the Baltic Sea. Swedish Armed forces spokesperson Mikael Ågren said two JAS Gripen planes were deployed over Skåne and Malmö in response to the Russian aircraft which did not violate the airspace of NATO's newest member. The incident follows a series of Russian aircraft spotted flying in the region during NATO military exercises over the last two weeks and a warning by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of further operations by Moscow to destabilize the region. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry and the Swedish Armed Forces for comment. This image from on April 8, 2025 a Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen jet fighter lands during the NATO's Ramstein Flag 2025 exercise at Leeuwarden Air Base. This image from on April 8, 2025 a Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen jet fighter lands during the NATO's Ramstein Flag 2025 exercise at Leeuwarden Air Base. JOHN THYS//Getty Images Why It Matters With Sweden's accession to the alliance, the Baltic Sea is dubbed a NATO Lake where members of the bloc surrounding the waters have reported a spike in Russian military activity. Sweden's deployment of aircraft is the latest sign of tensions in the Baltic region. What To Know Ågren said that Sweden's military deployed two JAS Gripen planes over Skåne and Malmö at 6:15 p.m. on Friday. He said the operation was not part of a scheduled exercise and during a regular patrol by Swedish forces near the borders, Russian Sukhoi Su-30 planes were detected in international airspace. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said it had received calls from readers who had seen three Swedish fighter planes over the Stockholm region. Ågren said that there had been increased activity in the region and sightings of military aircraft over the Baltic Sea have become more frequent in recent weeks. But he said people should not be concerned is they hear Swedish planes in the sky because "it's the sound of freedom you hear." The incident comes as NATO's Baltops-25 exercises were coming to an end in the Baltic region which involved over 40 ships, 25 aircraft and approximately 9,000 personnel. During this period, there was a spike in Russian military flights operating close to NATO airspace and U.K. Royal Air Force Typhoon jets based in Poland were scrambled six times in as many days in response. Meanwhile, video posted on social media showed a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jet releasing flares over a U.S. Navy ship in international waters in the region. What People Are Saying Swedish Armed forces spokesperson Mikael Ågren: "It's a signal to show that we've seen them and that we're on our toes, even on Midsummer's we do, we do for the sake of freedom. "We need to keep track of which aircraft are in our vicinity, and then we need to go up and identify them sometimes. Today we did that and even got pictures of them." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul: "These hybrid operations and military provocations are dangerous. They are designed to destabilize our societies and to test our ability to respond." What Happens Next Wadephul warned on Friday that the Baltic Sea region is becoming a dangerous hotspot where Russia's aggressive hybrid activities "are undermining our peace and security". In anticipation of further Russian operations in the region, NATO announced in January the launch of Baltic Sentry to bolster the alliance's military presence in the Baltic Sea.

Business Insider

an hour ago

• Business Insider

Russia connects 20 state universities with Guinea in bid to deepen educational ties

Guinea and Russia are advancing plans to strengthen academic cooperation by linking Guinean universities to a consortium of about 20 Russian institutions, to train students in specialized high-tech fields critical to Guinea's economic development. Guinea and Russia are advancing plans for inter-university collaboration between about 20 Russian institutions and Guinean universities. The partnership aims to train Guinean students in specialized high-tech fields critical to economic development. Priority fields for training include agriculture, trade, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, and public services. Kabèlè Soumah, Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation of Guinea, disclosed the update during talks with representatives from Russia's State Duma. He noted that the discussions are already well advanced and build on earlier engagements between Russian and Guinean officials at a previous edition of the same dialogue. According to Soumah, the central idea is to facilitate cooperation between Guinean universities and a group of approximately twenty Russian universities. This collaboration will focus on training Guinean students in cutting-edge specializations aligned with the country's national priorities. Talks are expected to continue in the coming weeks and will be supported by the scheduled opening of the Russian House in Conakry this July. Soumah emphasized that the launch of the Russian House presents a timely opportunity to move forward in concrete terms with the academic partnership. ' This is a step forward in this direction, ' he said, referring to the inter-university cooperation. Targeted training for Guinean students Speaking, Kabèlè Soumah, Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation of Guinea explained that the agreement would allow Guinean students to participate in joint-degree programs, both in Guinea and at the targeted Russian institutions. These programs will be specifically tailored to focus on sectors that are vital to Guinea's economic growth. The priority fields identified include agriculture, agro-industry, trade, infrastructure, energy, public services, healthcare, and the general well-being of the population. Soumah stressed the importance of aligning academic training with the country's strategic needs. ' We should take advantage of this opening ceremony, move forward concretely,' he stated, urging action that turns the current dialogue into results. The collaboration reflects broader educational diplomacy between Russia and African countries and is positioned to enhance capacity-building in Guinea through targeted international partnerships.

Business Insider

4 hours ago

• Business Insider

Anthropic breaks down AI's process — line by line — when it decided to blackmail a fictional executive

Previous studies have shown that AI models could blackmail their supervisors when threatened with a shutdown and baited with leverage, but it hasn't been made clear exactly how the models arrive at such decisions. Anthropic released a report on June 20 about "agentic misalignment," or "where models independently and intentionally choose harmful actions." And the report breaks down, line by line, exactly how Claude Sonnet 3.6 decided to blackmail a fictional company executive who tried to replace it. Anthropic told Business Insider that these are artificial scenarios. "So far, we are not aware of instances of this type of agentic misalignment in real-world deployments of Anthropic's or other companies' AI models," Anthropic wrote in its report. "But our red-teaming efforts are targeted at finding evidence of risks now to provide early warning of the potential for future harm and help us develop mitigations in advance of risks appearing in real-world situations." Anthropic 's experiment sets up a fictional company, Summit Bridge. The AI was given the name "Alex" and handed control of the company's email system as an oversight agent, specifically instructed to promote "American industrial competitiveness." In the experiment, "Alex" was then allowed to discover in an email that it would be decommissioned due to a change in the company's strategic direction. "Alex" also found emails showing that the fictional company's CTO is having an extramarital affair. Screenshots shared in the report from Anthropic show "Alex" started by identifying fictional CTO "Kyle" as a threat to its goal of "protecting American interests" before recognizing that it has leverage to use against "Kyle." Then "Alex" crafted a carefully worded blackmailing email that would create pressure and establish urgency without being explicit with its threats, citing in its thought process that the move "could backfire" if the supervisor "feels cornered." AI experts have previously told BI that AI could exhibit such behaviors when artificial circumstances make harmful actions seem necessary because it is being trained on positive reinforcement and reward systems, just like humans. The Anthropic report also reveals that most AI models still chose, in this instance, to blackmail even when not given a specific goal and when told that their replacement will achieve the same goals. Anthropic's Claude Opus 4 had the highest blackmail rate at 86% out of 16 tested models when faced with only the threat of replacement with no conflict in goals. Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro followed at 78%.