How Ukraine carried out daring 'Spider Web' attack on Russian bombers

On 1 June, more than 100 Ukrainian drones struck strategic targets deep into Russia in an elaborate and audacious operation.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveHow Ukraine carried out daring 'Spider Web' attack on Russian bombers4 days agoShareSaveLaura Gozzi & BBC VerifyBBC NewsShareSaveUkraine Presidential Press Service/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk after the operation against Russian airbasesIt was an attack of astonishing ingenuity – unprecedented, broad, and 18 months in the making.

On 1 June more than 100 Ukrainian drones struck air bases deep inside Russia, targeting nuclear-capable long-range bombers.

The scale of the operation dubbed "Spider Web" became clear almost as soon as it began, with explosions reported across several time zones all over Russia - as far north as Murmansk above the Arctic Circle, and as far east as Irkutsk, over 4,000km from Ukraine.

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the attacks had occurred in five regions of Russia - Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur - but stated planes had been damaged only in Murmansk and Irkutsk, while in other locations the attacks had been repelled.

In photos released shortly after the attack, Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), can be seen looking at a satellite map of airfields in which the bases in the locations listed by Russia are clearly identifiable.