To carry out its greatest attack on Russian soil Ukraine used a tool as old as wars: bribery

On June 1, what seemed several mobile houses located at various strategic points of Russia were revealed as what They were really: camouflaged trucks with an army of drones prepared for covert operation. The so -called Spiderweb began, the greatest Ukrainian offensive on Russian soil, a devastating attack on the fleet of Moscow bombers. Now, almost a month after the attack, Ukraine has responded to one of the great unknowns: how the hell swarms entered into Russian territory.

Redefining modern war. For more than eighteen months, Ukrainian intelligence services They designed meticulously an operation that culminated in an unprecedented attack on thousands of kilometers of its borders: An army of camouflaged drones in those prefabricated mobile houses, which were transported across international borders until they reach Russian strategic air bases.

Now, Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Ukraine Security Service (SBU), has revealed the details of the operation in an extensive Interview with Washington Post where he assures that the attack destroyed at least 12 Russian aircraft, including Tu-95 bombersand damaged a total of 41 devices, some of them located More than 3,400 kilometers east of Ukraine, in Siberia. The satellite images analyzed by the post confirmed Partial destructionalthough some visual tests were limited by weather conditions, which suggests that part of the remains could have been removed by Moscow before being captured.

How it was created. Maliuk explained That the design of the operation began in November 2023, in response to a new wave of Russian bombings on Ukrainian cities. The idea was to hide drones inside those houses Mobiles that simulate being standard housing units. These structures had to have autonomous energy systems (Solar panels and batteries special) to keep the vehicles unmanned loaded, even in extreme winter temperatures, waiting for the final order.

Russian restrictions on the importation of technological components made a tactic as old as the wars themselves: The briberyin this case to customs agents to introduce the materials.

No one knows (almost) nothing. Secretism, apparently, was total: each group worked with compartmentalized informationthe engineers who manufactured the drones ignored their real purpose, as well as those who assembled the prefabricated houses they did not know that they housed weapons. In Maliuk’s wordsit was “a tactical symphony” with multiple critical but autonomous parts.

Surgical precision. Thus, the morning of the attack, 117 modified FPV drones with double explosive load They were activated from the mobile roofs of the camouflaged houses. Each artifact was directed by A selected operator Among the best in the country, who was assigned A specific objective: A specific plane, whose location and environment were studied with detailed models.

Loads They were designed To penetrate the fuselage first and then detonate inside, maximizing damage to key points such as fuel deposits, missile launchers and electronic systems that Russia cannot easily replace. Although Maliuk avoided detailing the communication systems used to The remote guidanceconfirmed that they were multiple and sophisticatedspecially designed to avoid interference and guarantee success.

Strategic consequences. The Spiderweb Operation It was just the first blow. Two days later, Ukraine He executed another offensive of wingspan against the Kerch bridge, symbol of the Russian occupation of Crimea, using submarine explosives of 1,000 kilos. Although traffic was restored, the coup had a clear symbolic and strategic effect.

Russia replied With a massive wave of drones and missiles that reached civil areas of kyiv, leaving dozens of victims. Far from causing a decalized, the Ukrainian action confirmed A new level In the technological war and demonstrated kyiv’s ability to achieve very much within the enemy territory. According to MaliukSpiderweb is just a sample of the potential of Ukrainian intelligence to alter the rules of the conflict, and represents a logistics, technical and human effort “unified in a single structure.”

The future of wars. It We have slipped On other occasions. In full Russian offensive, and given the constant pressure on Ukrainian cities, the Spiderweb operation Mark a milestone In the modern war. Not only because of the depth of scope (from bases in Ukraine to Russian facilities in Siberia), but also for The operational model: Fragmentation of knowledge between operators, bribes, use of civil camouflage, innovation in light armament and ability to launch high precision attacks without resorting to large conventional platforms.

In words of Maliuk himselfthis is just “the tip of the iceberg” regarding the work of your agency with drones, networks of agents and undercover operations. In a conflict that is increasingly freed with bits and algorithms than with armored divisions, the offensive showed that the 21st century war is defined by who dominates the stealth, well above the brute force.

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