Drones for Operation Spiderweb were almost exposed by accident - new details of SSU operation emerge

The SSU's Operation Spiderweb, which had been in the works for a year and a half, was originally scheduled to begin on May 9. But the start had to be postponed: some of the truck drivers transporting the hidden drones were drunk after a series of holidays - Easter, May 1 and Victory Day.

The Wall Street Journal reports this with reference to sources. The Ukrainian News agency journalist Serhii Bosak took part in writing the material.

All preparatory work was completed at the end of April, but the operation was postponed until the end of May. As a result, the trucks with the hidden cargo set off on May 23-26. The drivers were not told what they were transporting.

According to the WSJ, the operation almost failed right on the move: one of the trucks' sliding roofs slid off. When the driver stopped to fix it, he saw drones inside. The frightened man immediately called the logistics coordinator, Artem Timofeev. All he heard in response was: "What the fuck?"

Timofeev then contacted the SSU leadership. Vasyl Maliuk quickly came up with a legend that was passed on to the driver: that the drones and equipment were intended to monitor animals in hunting grounds. The driver accepted the explanation and did not even pay attention to the explosives attached to the drones.

Problems also arose during the start of the operation on June 1: the connection with the cab of one of the trucks became unstable. The SSU instructed the driver on how to fix the problem, but he suddenly stopped contacting. Later, photos of the dead driver and the burnt truck appeared online.

The WSJ reports that the coordinator of the operation, Artem Timofeev, is a 37-year-old former DJ who moved from Ukraine to Chelyabinsk in 2018. Together with his wife, tattoo artist Ekaterina, he helped to implement the SSU's plan. The couple passed a polygraph, and they assembled the drones themselves according to the instructions of Ukrainian specialists.

What is known about Operation Spiderweb?

Operation Spiderweb is a large-scale special operation conducted by the SSU on June 1, when they attacked russian military airfields with drones. The strike managed to damage about 34% of russian strategic cruise missile carriers.

The preparation took over a year and a half. At first, the SSU sent FPV drones to russia, and later, wooden mobile houses, under the roofs of which the drones were hidden. During the start of the operation, the roofs of these houses were remotely opened, after which the drones took off and struck russian airfields.

We would like to remind you that the Head of the SSU Vasyl Maliuk stated that after the SSU's Operation Spiderweb, the russians moved all long-range strategic aviation to the air base in Ukrainka.