Strana 30
June 2025
On the very first day of the month, Ukraine
carried out the largest attack on Russian
airfields during the entire war. Operation
“Spiderweb” was conducted by the SBU, which
smuggled small domestically produced Osa
quadcopters into Russian territory. The drones
were hidden in trucks and launched near four
bases: Belaya (Irkutsk region, 4,300 km from
Ukraine), Olenya (near Murmansk, 1,800 km
from the front), Dyagilevo (Ryazan region), and
Ivanovo Severny (Ivanovo region, 200 km from
Moscow). An attack on a fifth base failed.
Destroyed or heavily damaged were eight
Tu-95MS strategic bombers, one An-12
transport aircraft, two decommissioned A-50
aircraft, and 7–12 Tu-22M3 medium bombers.
Additional aircraft and helicopters were
destroyed in regular Ukrainian attacks, and
two were lost during combat flights. Altogether,
Russia lost 29 to 33 aircraft and helicopters
that month.
Ukraine suffered only one loss—an F-16
and its pilot. On June 27, Lieutenant Colonel
Maksym Ustymenko destroyed seven Russian
drones and missiles before being hit, possibly
by debris. He managed to steer the aircraft
away from populated areas but could not eject
and died in the crash. This was the fourth and
most recent F-16 loss.
July 2025
On July 22, Ukraine lost its first Mirage
2000-5F. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot
reported critical instrument failure and
successfully ejected. The aircraft crashed
into a swamp and disappeared, leaving only
a water-filled crater. Russia set grim records
in mass attacks, launching 6,297 drones in
July—the highest since the invasion began. The
worst day was July 29, when airstrikes killed
25 people.
August 2025
Ukraine launched a campaign against
Russian oil refineries, with drones striking at
least 10 facilities in one month. The Druzhba
pipeline, supplying Russian oil to Slovakia and
Hungary, was also repeatedly hit. A Ukrainian
drone also struck a Russian ship in the Caspian
Sea for the first time.
Training of Ukrainian paratroopers
with Mi-8 helicopters.
A Ukrainian drone strike on a Beriev Be-12 in Crimea.
A Russian Ka-27 naval helicopter hit by a Ukrainian drone.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard30
April 2026