It was bold. It was audacious. It was innovative. And it was highly successful.
It was called Operation Spiderweb and it was Ukraine’s largest drone attack on Russian air bases in the war. Ukraine launched 117 UAVs across Russia’s vast territory, from Murmansk in the northwest to Irkutsk in Siberia, to Amur in the Far East.
According to some estimates, the damaged and destroyed aircraft comprised approximately 20 percent of Russia’s operational long-range aviation fleet and as much as 30 percent of its nuclear ready fleet.
So what does Operation Spider Web tell us about Ukraine’s capabilities and approach to the war going forward?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk, who is currently chairman of the Center for Defense Strategies in Kyiv, and Alexander Khara, a former official with the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council who is currently executive director of the Center for Defense Strategies.
Enjoy…
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SHOW NOTES
The audio clips opening the podcast and the second segment came from a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 1. The translations are as follows:
“I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians! Just now, I received a report from Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk – a brilliant operation was carried out. It took place on enemy territory and was aimed exclusively at military targets – specifically, the equipment used in strikes against Ukraine. Russia suffered truly significant losses – entirely justified and deserved.”
“Our personnel operated across multiple Russian regions – in three different time zones. And the people who assisted us were withdrawn from Russian territory before the operation, they are now safe. It is genuinely satisfying when something I authorized a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation.”
You can learn more about the Center for Defense Strategies here. Andriy Zagorodnyuk’s recent publications can be accessed here, here, and here. Alexander Khara’s recent publications can be accessed here and here.
The Power Vertical Newsletter on Substack can be accessed here. Recently published work by Brian Whitmore can be accessed here, here, here, and here. Please follow Brian Whitmore and The Power Vertical on Bluesky@powervertical.bsky.social
Nataliya Gumenyuk’s article for The Atlantic, “Ukraine’s New Way of War,” which was referenced in the podcast, can be accessed here.
The report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, “How Ukraine’s Operation ‘Spider’s Web’ Redefines Asymmetric Warfare,” which was referenced in the podcast, can be accessed here.
The article by David Ignatius in The Washington Post, “Ukraine’s dirty war is just getting started,” which was referenced in the podcast, can be accessed here.