Search intensifies for suspect in Irkutsk drone attack
Russian services are searching for 37-year-old Artiom Timofeyev from Donetsk, suspected of involvement in the drone attack on a military airfield in the Irkutsk region.
Many of the reports being circulated by Russian media and officials are likely to be false. Such reports may be part of a disinformation or information warfare strategy by the Russian Federation.
Russian law enforcement is looking for 37-year-old Artiom Timofeyev from Donetsk, who is suspected of participating in the drone attack on the military airfield "Belaya" in the Irkutsk region.
The information about the search was published by the administration of the city of Ust-Kut, but the post was subsequently deleted due to media interest.
According to the telegram channel "Baza", Timofeyev, who owns four trucks, was allegedly involved in drone attacks on military airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ryazan, and Ivanovo regions.
The independent Russian portal Meduza highlights that one of the truck drivers testified that Timofeyev received an order from an entrepreneur in the Murmansk region to transport four prefab houses from Chelyabinsk to the Kola region.
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During the transport, the driver received phone instructions from an unknown person about where and when to stop. The last stop was the "Rosneft" fuel station near the military airfield in the Murmansk region, from where the drones were launched. Similar accounts were given by other drivers.
Operation "Spiderweb"
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducted a large-scale special operation "to destroy enemy bomber aircraft deep within Russian territory".
The operation required precise logistical planning. The SBU transported FPV drones to Russia, which were hidden in mobile wooden houses on trucks. At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were remotely opened, allowing the drones to take off and attack Russian bombers. Ukrainian sources emphasize that those involved in the operation have long since returned to the country.
Operation "Spiderweb" targeted four key Russian air bases: Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo.
Strategic aircraft, including long-range bombers Tu-95 and Tu-22M3, as well as an A-50 early warning aircraft, were destroyed. The attack on the Belaya base in the Irkutsk region, over 4,000 kilometres from Ukraine, was the first instance of a Ukrainian drone appearing in this area.
