On 1st June, Ukraine launched Operation Spiderweb deep inside Russia, showcasing a shocking display of asymmetric warfare. President Zelenskyy later confirmed it was in planning for nearly 1.5 years. Notably, the attack happened just a day before Russia and Ukraine were supposed to start peace talks in Istanbul. Ukraine used FPV (first-person view) drones to attack multiple high-security Russian airbases, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment, including nuclear-capable warplanes.
Today, a brilliant operation was carried out. The preparation took over a year and a half. What’s most interesting, is that the “office” of our operation on Russian territory was located directly next to FSB headquarters in one of their regions.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 1, 2025
In total, 117 drones were used in… pic.twitter.com/tU0SMN9jdB
Interestingly, these drones were not launched from the Ukrainian border. Instead, they were smuggled into Russia well in advance, hidden in mobile wooden cabins loaded onto trucks. The trucks were driven by unsuspecting locals. They were parked near airbases in Belaya, Diaghilevo, Olenya and Ivanovo. Once the trucks were in place, the SBU, Ukraine’s intelligence agency, remotely opened the truck roofs and launched the drones.
This will be in textbooks.
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) June 1, 2025
Ukraine secretly delivered FPV drones and wooden mobile cabins into Russia. The drones were hidden under the roofs of the cabins, which were later mounted on trucks.
At the signal, the roofs opened remotely. Dozens of drones launched directly from the… pic.twitter.com/sJyG3WyYYI
The drones flew just a few feet above the ground and provided crystal-clear visuals of Russian bombers and early warning aircraft, including Tu-95s and the A-50. Each drone, carrying precision munitions, struck the targets with remarkable accuracy. Russia’s loss was not just strategic but irreversible. The Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers destroyed in the operation are no longer in production. Over 40 aircraft were hit, with the total estimated damage crossing $2 billion.
Ukrainian Security Service has been preparing operation "Spiderweb" for 1,5 years. Drones were smuggled into Russia and prepared to be launched from wooden mobile homes placed on civilian trucks. Drones were launched from distance and made real time video of hits #SBU #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/jpsj5E57iK
— Бойові Бджоли / The Battle Bees (@battle_bees) June 1, 2025
Following the attack, the same trucks exploded in coordinated blasts, eliminating all evidence and wounding or killing those who went near them. It was meticulously planned, ruthlessly executed, and surprisingly cost-effective. Russia, the wounded bear, is expected to retaliate strongly.
BREAKING 🇺🇦vs🇷🇺: This might be one of the most badass moments of this whole war. Ukraine tricked random Russian truck drivers into hauling their FPV drones deep into Russia, right near nuclear bomber airfields. No clue what they were moving.
— Mario 🇺🇸🇵🇱🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@PawlowskiMario) June 1, 2025
Then boom 💥 Ukraine unloaded those… pic.twitter.com/OrLyZB4CqY
And just last year, India came dangerously close to a similar plot
In May 2024, OpIndia had reported how the National Investigation Agency (NIA) revealed one of the darkest secrets of terrorists living inside the country. In the sleepy town of Padgha, just 50 KM from Mumbai, investigations led by journalist Pankaj Prasoon and actions by the NIA exposed that the village had become a base of ISIS operations in India. The village was renamed Al Sham by its self-declared ruler, terrorist Saqib Nachan.
In 2023, a massive NIA raid in Padgha unearthed a stash of 44 drones, clearly being prepared for a coordinated attack on Mumbai. Those were not toy drones but were rigged for combat. The NIA found explosives, extremist literature and even Israeli flags, indicating a twisted attempt at false-flag operations or to incite communal tensions.
Saqib Nachan is a known terrorist linked to the 2002–2003 Mumbai bomb blasts. He had not just resurfaced but gone further. He was backed by foreign handlers, organised funding and digital networks to plan to turn Padgha into India’s version of Spiderweb. He was radicalising youth under the pretext of religious gatherings. They were getting trained in IEDs and given bayʿah, an oath of allegiance, to ISIS.
Thankfully, the NIA acted before the attack could have been executed and arrested 15, including Nachan, in December 2023. Had they delayed, India might have been writing obituaries, not reports. The world marvelled at Ukraine’s ingenuity on 1st June, but similar tactics, when used by terrorists, can lead to devastating results. It is not hard to imagine what could have happened had Al Sham succeeded.
Constant upgradation is a necessity
Operation Spiderweb is a chilling reminder of how modern warfare no longer relies on missiles, fighter jets and expensive equipment. It has turned towards low-cost, high-precision tools like FPV drones and covert logistics. The fact that such an operation could be planned, drones smuggled and an attack executed in just 1.5 years without detection should set alarm bells ringing across the world, especially for India.
There are hostile actors not only in Pakistan but inside India itself. These actors, backed by Pakistan and ISIS-linked operatives, actively seek to replicate such tactics. The threat is neither distant nor hypothetical. The foiled Padgha plot showed how dangerously close India came to witnessing a Spiderweb-style drone attack on Indian soil, much before Ukraine executed it in Russia.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, agencies like the NIA, supported by state police and central intelligence units, have cracked down hard on such sleeper cells and terror modules. The recent arrests of tens of spies working for Pakistan is another wake-up call that the enemy lives within.
The battle is far from over. Terrorism today wears many faces, from lone wolves to coordinated drone warfare. Defeating such sophisticated attacks requires a combination of proactive intelligence, strong political will, and public vigilance. The Modi government has taken significant steps to modernise internal security, but in an age where a Rs 30,000 drone can destroy a Rs 300 crore aircraft, constant upgradation of both technology and strategy is not a choice, but a necessity.
