Ukraine’s spectacular drone attack on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet on Sunday (local time) began with a daunting request from Ukraine’s president to his spy chief in late fall 2023.

Across the country, swarms of small explosive drones descended onto military bases and destroyed a large part of Russia's nuclear bomber fleet. The flying bombs were smuggled into Russia by Ukrainian intelligence services in a plot known as Operation Spiderweb.

Kharkiv, located 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine, has been a frequent target of Russian drones and missiles in the more than three-year-old war. Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.