Ukrainian Prime Minister details key objectives of Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb
Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The SBU’s special operation Spiderweb was carried out to boost security in response to the ongoing Russian strikes targeting civilian infrastructure and populations, states Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The Prime Minister emphasized that for Ukraine, this was a highly targeted military operation.
“We have been calling for a complete ceasefire for two months now, but the Russians still refuse. They continue launching missile and drone attacks on our civilian infrastructure every night and every day. So we have no choice but to destroy their military capabilities and reduce their ability to strike our people with cruise missiles,” Shmyhal stressed.
According to him, Operation Spiderweb proves that innovation and new technologies play a decisive role in this war and are changing the battlefield dynamics.
“And I’m convinced that Ukraine has many more ideas to enhance these capabilities. We keep working hard to reduce the Russians’ ability to attack Ukraine. You can already see how Ukrainian naval drones are reclaiming the waters of the Black Sea. Now, we plan to clear our airspace of Russian bombers,” the Prime Minister said.
Shmyhal also noted that our country urgently needs long-range missiles from Western partners to neutralize Russian logistics near the Ukrainian border.
“Russia continues to attack the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy regions. The only way to stop them, to hold them back and save many lives, is to have the means to disrupt their military logistics,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
He expressed hope that Kyiv will have sufficient capacity to produce medium- and long-range weapons with support from Western partners. According to him, Ukraine needs backing from Germany, France, and other EU countries. He also reminded that since the start of the full-scale invasion, the European Union has provided Ukraine with €138 billion in military aid.
The Prime Minister added that upcoming talks with the French government will focus on creating joint ventures to manufacture types of effective weapons that have already proven themselves on the battlefield.
Operation Spiderweb
On Sunday, June 1st, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out a large-scale operation on Russian territory called Spiderweb.
Strike drones targeted five airfields hosting Russian strategic aviation - Olennya, Belaya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo. The drones were prepped in advance and loaded onto trucks, which were driven right up to the airbases. From there, they quickly took off and hit enemy aircraft.
According to the SBU, the operation resulted in the destruction and severe damage of 41 Russian strategic aviation planes, including Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, Tu-160 bombers, as well as A-50 radar detection and control aircraft.
The attack destroyed 34% of Russia’s strategic aviation fleet, with total damages estimated at $2 billion.
Additionally, drones damaged the Russian nuclear submarine base in Severomorsk.
Operation Spiderweb was planned for a year and a half and has been recognized as a historic and unprecedented mission in terms of scale and damage inflicted on the enemy.
