In Russia, investigators have strengthened the charges against four truck drivers whose vans were used to launch drones at Russian airfields during the SBU operation “Spider”. In addition to the previous charges of committing a terrorist act by a group of individuals in conspiracy and causing significant damage, a charge of illegal possession and transportation of explosives was added. All four defendants were named as residents of Chelyabinsk: 56-year-old Mikhail Ryumin, 62-year-old Andriy Merkuryev, 56-year-old Oleksandr Zaitsev, and 47-year-old Serhiy Kanurin.
According to the investigation, they accepted an order to deliver to four regions of Russia parts for timber-frame houses, where the drones were to be placed.
Timeline of Events and Consequences
On June 1, 2025, drones attacked military airfields Olenya in the Murmansk region, Bila in the Irkutsk region, and Dyagilevo near Ryazan, as well as the airfield in Ivanovo, where planes with radar systems are based. The fifth truck with drones, intended to attack the Ukrainska airfield in Amur Oblast, caught fire on the highway. During the explosion, 62-year-old driver Vasyl Pytikov from Chelyabinsk was killed.
According to the SBU, as a result of the attack, 41 Russian aircraft were damaged, including the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the NSDC of Ukraine, noted that 13 aircraft were destroyed.
Representatives of American and European intelligence services told The New York Times that as a result of the operation up to 20 Russian strategic aircraft could have been destroyed or seriously damaged. Reuters, citing American officials, reported the destruction of 10 Russian aircraft.
According to acquaintances and relatives of the drivers, the accused did not know about the dangerous contents of the cargo.
This case underscores the scale of impact and the duration of investigative actions after such operations, as well as the importance of fully clarifying the circumstances of the case.