Russia arrests driver linked to Ukraine's Spiderweb drone launches on airfields

According to Mediazona, the Ivanovo Regional Court upheld the arrest of 55-year-old Chelyabinsk resident Mikhail Ryumin. He is accused under a statute related to committing a terrorist act by a group of individuals. The appellate ruling also noted that Ryumin had worked as a truck driver for a long time.

A colleague of Ryumin confirmed to Mediazona that he was indeed the driver of the truck from which the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched FPV drones at Russian airfields.

According to the publication's source, shortly before the Ukrainian operation, Ryumin changed jobs. At that time, he accepted an order to deliver prefabricated modular building components from Chelyabinsk to the Ivanovo region. He was transporting the cargo in a rented truck.

The suspect's colleague is confident that Ryumin had no idea drones were hidden inside the modular structures.

"I've hauled the same kind of cabins — well, we call them modular buildings — for almost eight years across the whole country. If they had given me that kind of cabin, I would've loaded it the same way and delivered it. You can't even get inside — everything is sealed up. You're not going to start taking apart the walls," he added.

Operation Spiderweb

On June 1, Ukrainian drones attacked Russian airfields. The primary target was Russia's strategic aviation.

It was later revealed that the drones had been launched from inside Russian territory. The unmanned aerial vehicles were hidden in modular buildings transported by trucks.

Following the operation, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the strike on Russian airfields resulted in the destruction or damage of 41 Russian strategic aircraft.