Vasyl Malyuk: To carry out the Spider's Web opeartion, it was even necessary to bribe Russian customs officials

During the large-scale special operation Spider's Web, targeting Russia’s strategic airfields, Ukrainian special services were even forced to bribe Russian customs officials to transport equipment subject to sanctions. This was stated by Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), during a meeting with journalists.

“These units traveled separately. And when they were to enter Russian territory, these were sanction-restricted goods: EcoFlow, solar panels. It became quite a story; we were even forced to corrupt Russian customs officers,” Malyuk said.

According to him, the equipment included autonomous power launch complexes designed to support drone operations in any weather conditions, even at -50°C.

“There was a possibility we would operate in winter. So there was a system of solar panels and EcoFlow batteries to continuously recharge the drones... The drone had to launch fully charged,” the SSU chief explained.

He added that the special operation lasted one year, six months, and nine days, with an extremely limited circle of people aware of it. A total of 117 drones were involved in the operation.

“We started this in November 2023 because at that time the enemy began another massive bombardment of peaceful Ukrainian cities. Our task was to destroy missile carriers,” Malyuk said.

He explained that the combat part inside the drone’s body consists of two charges of 800 grams each, totaling 1.6 kg—a special cumulative high-explosive charge. This charge “burns through the aircraft’s body and explodes inside, causing maximum damage to the target.”

“We targeted fuel tanks, which I prioritized. We hit the side of the aircraft where the missile was located. We struck avionics, equipment for which the enemy has no spare,” Malyuk added.

According to him, this is a very precise and specially developed ammunition.

“The people who made the drones didn’t know it was for ‘Spider's Web.’ The people who made the power units didn’t know it was for the aircraft. The people who transported them also were not aware of the details… Everyone was responsible for their own crucial, separate part of the work,” he emphasized.

“I gathered the best drone operators from the Security Service’s Special Operations Center ‘A’ (CSO A). They entered the combat control point at 5:00 AM, their phones were confiscated, and work began: each was assigned a target, a specific aircraft. Each had a terrain model considering relief, the location of power units, and the flight route. I had my own models—you’ve seen the photos,” the SSU chief said.

• On June 1, 2025, the SSU carried out the special operation “Spider's Web,” striking four strategic Russian airfields. This accounted for 34% of all Russian strategic cruise missile carriers, with an estimated value of $7 billion.
• It was Ukraine’s longest-range operation, with the “office” located directly near the FSB headquarters in one of the Russian regions.