Ukrainian AI-powered drones decimate Russian war planes
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Occurred: June 2025
Page published: June 2025
Ukrainian forces used AI-powered drones smuggled deep into Russian territory to execute a devastating attack on Russian airbases, reportedly destroying or damaging over 40 warplanes, including strategic bombers.
What happened
What happened
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched a highly coordinated, long-range drone attack targeting Russian airbases across five regions - Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur.
Dubbed "Spiderweb," the operation involved AI-enhanced drones that were covertly transported into Russia via specially modified trucks. Once in position near the airbases, the drones were launched and autonomously targeted key aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers and A-50 early warning planes, which Russia uses to launch long-range missile strikes on Ukraine.
The attack reportedly hit at least 41 aircraft, with 10 completely destroyed and many more damaged. The SBU estimates the damage at USD 7 billion and claims that 34 percent of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers were affected.
Ukraine’s drones were trained using AI to recognize specific aircraft types and their most vulnerable components, such as fuel tanks, maximising the likelihood of destruction. This training was conducted using data from real aircraft and simulations, ensuring the drones could make accurate, real-time decisions in the field.
The scale and complexity of the operation mark a significant blow to Russia’s airpower.
Russia acknowledged the attacks but claimed its air defenses had repelled most of the strikes in three regions.
Why it happened
Why it happened
The operation was a direct response to Russia’s continued use of strategic bombers to launch missiles at Ukrainian cities from deep within Russian territory, far beyond the reach of conventional Ukrainian weapons.
The operation took over 18 months to prepare and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
What it means
What it means
For Russia, the attack represents a major humuliation and a significant loss of military capability, particularly as the targeted bombers are critical for long-range strikes and nuclear deterrence. The loss of these assets could hamper the country’s ability to project power and conduct missile strikes against Ukraine, potentially shifting the military balance in Ukraine’s favour.
For Ukraine, the operation is a major morale boost and demonstrates the country’s ability to innovate and execute complex, technologically advanced missions far behind enemy lines. It also signals to allies and adversaries alike that Ukraine can strike deep into Russian territory, challenging perceptions of Russian invulnerability.
More broadly, the attack highlights the growing role of AI and drone technology in modern warfare, with implications for future conflicts and the development of new defense strategies. Ukrainian AI drones are designed with limited human oversight, allowing machines to make critical decisions on target selection and engagement.
This shift toward autonomy means that life-and-death decisions could be made by algorithms rather than humans, raising concerns about accountability, transparency, and the potential for errors or misidentification.
The incident also came ahead of peace talks in Istanbul, potentially influencing the negotiating positions of both sides.
Lethal autonomous weapons
Lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) are a type of autonomous military system that can independently search for and engage targets based on programmed constraints and descriptions.
Source: Wikipedia 🔗
System 🤖
System 🤖
Unknown
Developer: Government of Ukraine
Country: Russia
Sector: Govt - defence; Politics
Purpose: Destroy warplanes
Technology: Computer vision; Drone; Machine learning
Issue: Accountability; Lethal autonomous weapons; Transparency
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