Ukraine secretly prepared Operation Spider Web, knowing US would oppose it - NYT
Ukraine was secretly preparing a series of strikes on Russian air bases as part of the operation called "Spider Web" because it knew that Washington would object to it.
This is reported by The New York Times, citing sources, Censor.NET reports.
According to U.S. officials and military analysts, Ukraine, by launching a bold drone attack on airfields and military aircraft deep in Russia, continues to change the way wars are fought in the 21st century.
U.S. officials have reiterated to the publication that Ukraine did not warn the Trump administration in advance that it was planning the attack.
It is noted that the secrecy of the operation does not surprise US officials, as any leakage of information the day before could have endangered the people who implemented it.
Ukraine has always been careful to protect its operational security, especially after Trump administration officials inadvertently revealed plans for U.S. strikes in Signal group chats. In addition, the United States and Ukraine are not currently conducting joint planning for strikes against Russia, the newspaper writes.
U.S. officials also noted that the Ukrainians realized that Russia's strategic bombers are a prohibited target for the United States, so they did not inform the Americans of their plans, knowing that the United States would be against it, the NYT adds.
A representative of the defense ministry of a European NATO country said that Ukraine's strikes have already led to discussions about whether the allies need to reassess their vulnerability.
SSU special operation "Spider Web"
According to Censor.NET's sources, on June 1, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a special operation "Spider Web" , launching a massive drone strike on Russian strategic aviation airfields.
The attack targeted the Olenya, Belaya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo airfields. They managed to hit 41 Russian aircraft, including A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3.
Later, the SSU clarified that the estimated cost of the enemy's strategic aviation, which was hit today as a result of the SSU's Spider Web special operation, was $7 billion.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy listened to a report by the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk on Operation Spider Web.
