Ukraine's Pavutyna operation: 18 months in planning, 41 Russian bombers hit – photos
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) conducted a special operation codenamed Pavutyna (Web) on 1 June 2025, striking 41 Russian strategic aircraft, following over 18 months of preparation.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda source in the SSU
Details: The operation, overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and executed by SSU chief Vasyl Maliuk, was logistically complex, the source emphasised.
Quote: "The SSU first transported first-person view drones to Russia, then mobile wooden crates. On Russian territory, drones were concealed under the roofs of these crates, mounted on lorries. At the designated time, the roofs were remotely opened and the drones took off to strike Russian bombers."
Ukrainska Pravda has obtained a photograph from the operation’s preparation phase.
Quote: "The operatives involved in this historic operation are safely back in Ukraine. Any detentions by Putin’s regime would be staged for domestic propaganda."
Background:
- On the afternoon of 1 June 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service launched drone attacks on Russian military airfields, targeting strategic bombers and reportedly damaging up to 41 aircraft.
- Russian media later claimed that Ukrainian drones had been deployed from lorries parked at petrol stations.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
