Roman Sheremeta

June 2, 2025

Why did Ukraine publicly disclose so much information about Operation “Spiderweb”?

That’s a very good question — and the answer reveals how strategic modern warfare has become, far beyond the battlefield.

First, much of this information would have eventually come to light. The scale and precision of the operation — damaging or destroying over 40 aircraft across four separate russian airbases — meant that russian authorities, media, and satellite imagery analysts would piece it together. Trying to conceal the operation would have been futile.

Second, the disclosure itself is part of the strategy. By revealing how the operation was executed — including the use of concealed drones inside decoy trucks driven across 5,000 kilometers of russian territory — Ukraine isn’t just celebrating a tactical success. It’s imposing a psychological and economic cost on russia.

Now, every russian cargo truck becomes a potential threat. Every driver is suspect. As a result, russian authorities will be forced to:

• Divert resources to inspect and monitor domestic transport routes.
• Increase surveillance and internal security along tens of thousands of kilometers of highways.
• Slow down military and civilian logistics across the entire country.
• Mistrust their own citizens — especially private drivers and contractors — creating paranoia and bottlenecks.

This will drive up the cost of russian supply chains, strain already stretched infrastructure, and potentially cause internal friction. Ukraine didn’t just destroy aircraft — it weaponized uncertainty within the russian system.

This is how modern asymmetric warfare works: you don’t need to match your enemy plane-for-plane. You just need to make their whole system start doubting itself.