To implement Operation Spider Web, we even had to bribe Russian customs officers - Maliuk
To implement the large-scale SSU special operation "Spider Web" to strike strategic airfields in Russia, Ukrainian special services had to bribe Russian customs officers to smuggle equipment.
According to Censor.NET, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk said this.
"These houses were traveling separately. And when they had to enter the territory of Russia, it was a sanctioned group of goods: EcoFlow, solar panels. A whole story began, and we even had to corrupt Russian customs officials," he said.
According to Maliuk, these were autonomous, powered launchers that were supposed to ensure the drones' operation in all weather conditions, even at -50°C.
"There was an option that we would work in winter. That's why there was a system of solar panels, a system of EcoFlow batteries. They had to constantly recharge the drones... The drone had to start as charged as possible," the SSU chief said.
Maliuk said that the special operation lasted one year, six months, and nine days. The circle of those who knew about it was extremely limited. The special operation involved 117 drones.
"We started doing this in November 2023. That's when the enemy started massive shelling of peaceful Ukrainian cities. Our task was to destroy the missile launchers," the SSU Head emphasized.
He said that the warhead in the drone's body included two parts of 800 and 800 g, and in total it was 1.6 kg - a special high explosive charge. Such a charge "burns through the body of the aircraft and explodes inside, causing maximum damage to the target."
"They hit the tanks, I prioritized that. They hit the side of the plane where the missile was located. They hit the avionics, the equipment that the enemy has no spare," explained Maliuk.
According to him, this is a very correct and specially designed munition.
"The people who made the drones did not know that it was for the "Spider Web". The people who made the houses did not know that they were for airplanes. The people who were transporting them were also not privy to the details... Everyone was responsible for their own crucial, separate area of work," he emphasized.
"I gathered the best drone operators of the SSU Special Operations Center A (SOC A). They came to the combat control center at 05:00, their phones were taken away. And the work began: everyone was assigned a target and a specific aircraft. Everyone had a layout of the area, which took into account the terrain, the location of the houses, the route, how to get there. I had my own layouts, you've seen the photos," added the SSU head.
