WIREDGOV

EXPERT COMMENT

The use of cheap drones to strike targets deep within Russia provides a blueprint for rapidly evolving modern warfare that should inform how states seek to defend themselves.

Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web will undoubtedly enter the history books as one of the most remarkable and best-executed covert operations of the war, with potential consequences for warfare far beyond the current conflict.  

According to Ukrainian intelligence, which released information about the 1 June operation, Ukraine used 117 drones to strike several airbases deep within Russia. Ukraine says it damaged or destroyed 41 planes, including bombers that carry strategic cruise-missiles. The drones, which were transported close to the bases hidden in the back of trucks and operated remotely, were reportedly able to inflict damage of up to $7 billion – at a fraction of the cost. 

The operation showed that Kyiv did in fact hold some of the cards ahead of proposed negotiations in Istanbul, temporarily stunned the Kremlin into silence and dealt a blow to Russia’s capacity to launch lethal missile strikes against Ukraine.

It also offered a glimpse into the future of warfare, transformed by access to cheap, widely available technology such as small drones, in which anything, anywhere can become a target. While NATO figures will likely have been impressed by Spider’s Web’s success, the operation’s effectiveness also raises urgent questions about the alliance’s own readiness for a future shaped by similar attacks. 

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