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Russian Aircraft Losses Reach 384 Following Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine’s General Staff updated its official count of destroyed Russian aircraft, adding 12 new planes to the tally following a special operation conducted deep inside Russian territory, according to new data, published on June 3.
The update, posted to the General Staff’s social media channels, is the first revision to Russia’s aircraft loss count since the launch of Ukraine’s covert operation Spider Web, which targeted key airbases hosting Russia’s strategic bombers.
According to the latest figures, Russia has now lost a total of 384 military aircraft since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The high-profile operation by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) was aimed specifically at crippling Russia’s strategic aviation fleet—particularly the aircraft used to launch long-range cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities.
Strikes were carried out against several critical military airfields: Belaya, Ivanovo, Ukrainka, Olenya, and Dyagilevo.
On June 1, Ukrainian FPV drones successfully hit targets at the Olenya airbase in the Murmansk region and the Belaya airbase in the Irkutsk region. The same day was widely dubbed online as a “new Tsushima” for Russian aviation—a reference to the historic 1905 naval disaster for the Russian Empire.
In a national address on the day of the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared key operation details, noting the sophistication of its planning and the precision of its execution.
“The operation’s ‘office’ on Russian territory was located near an FSB command center,” Zelenskyy revealed.
According to the president, 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers were hit during the strikes. These included Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers—two mainstays of Russia’s long-range strike capability.
He also disclosed that the operation took 1 year, 6 months, and 9 days to execute, with planning dating back to November 23, 2023.
Earlier, reports emerged that the Ukrainian drone strike that damaged or destroyed multiple Russian strategic bombers—including Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 aircraft—was carried out using “Osa” FPV drones developed by the Ukrainian tech company First Contact.
