US intelligence lowers estimate of Russian bombers destroyed in Operation Spiderweb – Reuters
Photo: Anonymous American intelligence underestimated the number of aircraft (ssu.gov.ua)
American intelligence gives a lower number of destroyed Russian bombers during Operation Spiderweb than Ukraine, Reuters reports.
According to estimates by two American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, as a result of the strikes, approximately 10 combat aircraft were destroyed in total and up to 20 were damaged.
This number is about half of the estimate made by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said that half of the 41 damaged Russian aircraft were too severely damaged to be repaired.
However, US officials characterized the attack as extremely significant.
Operation Spiderweb
Ukraine carried out strikes on four air bases on Russian territory, using 117 drones launched from containers placed close to the targets, during an operation codenamed Operation Spiderweb.
The SBU published footage showing its drones striking Russian strategic bombers and hitting the dome antennas of two A-50 military reconnaissance aircraft, of which Russia has only a few in its fleet.
Damage assessment
the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the damage caused to Russia as a result of the operation amounted to $7 billion and that 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia’s main air bases were damaged.
Commercial satellite images taken after the attack show that Tu-95 and Tu-22 Backfires were damaged—supersonic long-range strategic bombers that Russia has used to launch missile strikes on Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged that Ukraine had struck air bases in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. It was also stated that in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, several aircraft caught fire.
This attack boosted the morale of Ukrainians after months of relentless pressure from Russia on the battlefield and numerous powerful missile and drone strikes by Russian forces.
It also demonstrated that Kyiv could catch Moscow off guard, even deep within its own territory, by carrying out strikes up to 4,300 km from the front line.
