Ukrainian drone strikes expose hidden devastation at Russian base
The Ukrainian operation codenamed "Spiderweb" is likely to leave a lasting imprint on Russian military memory. High-resolution satellite imagery not only allowed defense analysts to assess the scale of destruction at the Belyaya airbase, but also exposed Moscow’s failed efforts to disguise the aftermath of the Ukrainian drone strike—an attempt to mask the damage that ultimately proved futile under the scrutiny of modern surveillance technology.
Operation "Spiderweb" involved simultaneous drone strikes on four significant Russian military airfields, which house aircraft particularly valuable to the Kremlin. Initial estimates indicated that the destruction and damage could reach up to 40 aircraft. Max Boot, a commentator for the "Washington Post" and an expert from the American Council on Foreign Relations, likened the Ukrainian operation to the attack on Pearl Harbour, stating that it must have been "an absolute shock to the Russians."
Significant losses for the Russians at the Belyaya base
Newly released satellite imagery offers a more accurate assessment of the damage inflicted. According to Polish military analyst Jarosław Wolski, the Ukrainian strike on the Belyaya airbase destroyed three Tu-95MS and three Tu-22M3 bombers, with an additional Tu-95MS sustaining significant damage.
According to the analyst, the elimination of the Tu-95MS could be particularly pivotal in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Concurrently, in his post on the platform X, he highlighted that the newly available satellite images reveal the unsuccessful attempts to disguise the damage inflicted by Ukrainian drones.
"It also shows how Russians arranged the wreckage of the scrapped Tu-22M3 to resemble standing machines in the SAR spectrum. Clever, but ineffective against modern SAR," noted Jarosław Wolski, highlighting the precision of satellites using SAR technology.
Key Russian aircraft
The Tu-95MS are often referred to as Russian "bears," derived from their NATO code name (Bear).
These bombers have been in service for over 70 years, but continue to serve as an effective platform for carrying various types of payload. They can carry loads weighing up to 20,000 kg, including arsenals such as Kh-101 cruise missiles with a range of about 4,500 kilometres, as well as conventional and nuclear bombs. The range of the Tu-95MS exceeds 10,000 kilometres.
