‘Gandalf the Green’.
Speaks to the SBU chief.
After the operation.
Against ‘orcs’ airbases.
It was an attack.
Of astonishing ingenuity.
– unprecedented, broad.
And 18 months in the making.
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
On 1 June.
More than 100 ‘elves’ drones.
Struck air bases.
Deep inside ‘Mordor’.
Targeting nuclear-capable.
Long-range bombers.
The scale of the operation.
Dubbed “Spider Web”.
Became clear almost as soon as.
It began with explosions.
Reported across several time zones.
All over ‘Mordor’.
– as far north as Murmansk.
Above the Arctic Circle.
And as far east as the Amur region.
Over 8,000km from Ukraine.
‘What I’ve been through this evening,’
Clarissa continued.
‘Oh dear, it reminds me
of Sir Walter Scott.’
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
The ‘orcs’ Defence Ministry.
Confirmed the attacks.
Had occurred in five regions.
Of ‘Mordor’.
– Murmansk, Irkutsk.
Ivanovo, Ryazan.
And Amur –
But stated.
Planes had been damaged.
Only in Murmansk and Irkutsk.
While in other locations.
The attacks had been repelled.
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
In photos released.
Shortly after the attack.
The head of the Security Service.
Of Ukraine.
The SBU head.
Can be seen looking at.
A satellite map.
Of airfields.
In which the bases.
In the locations.
Listed by ‘Mordor’.
Are clearly identifiable.
“Supposing I were to come down
one morning and find
a dead body in the library,
what should I do?”
He said the drones.
Were smuggled.
Into ‘Mordor’.
Inside wooden cabins.
Mounted on the back of lorries.
And concealed below.
Remotely operated.
Detachable roofs.
The lorries were then.
Apparently driven to locations.
Near airbases.
By drivers.
Who were seemingly.
Unaware of their cargo;
Then, the drones were launched.
And set upon their targets.
‘Supposing I were to find
a dead body
in the drawing-room,
what should I do?’
Videos circulating online.
Show drones emerging.
From the roof of one of.
The vehicles involved.
One lorry driver said.
He and other drivers.
Tried to knock down drones.
Flying out of a lorry with rocks.
“They were in the back of the truck.
And we threw stones.
To keep them from flying up.
To keep them pinned down.”
‘What I’ve been through this evening,’
Clarissa continued.
‘Oh dear, it reminds me
of Sir Walter Scott.’
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
According to unverified reports.
By one ‘orcs’ Telegram channel.
– which is known for its links.
To the security services –
The drivers of the lorries.
From which the drones.
Took off all told.
Similar stories.
Of being booked by businessmen.
To deliver wooden cabins.
In various locations.
Around ‘Mordor’.
“Supposing I were to come down
one morning and find
a dead body in the library,
what should I do?”
Some of them said.
They then received.
Further instructions.
Over the phone.
On where to park the lorries;
when they did so.
They were stunned to see.
Drones fly out of them.
‘Supposing I were to find
a dead body
in the drawing-room,
what should I do?’
In a triumphant post.
Shared on social media.
On Sunday night.
‘Gandalf the Green’.
– who directly supervised.
The operation –
Said 117 drones.
Had been used.
In the daring attack.
That took “one year.
Six months and nine days”.
To prepare.
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
He also said one of.
The targeted locations was.
Right next to one of the offices of.
The FSB ‘orcs’ security services.
‘Mordor’ has said.
It has detained people.
In connection.
With the attack.
Although ‘Gandalf the Green’.
Stated the people.
Who had helped.
Facilitate the operation.
“Were withdrawn.
From ‘orcs’ territory.
… they are now safe”.
… they are now safe”.
“Supposing I were to come down
one morning and find
a dead body in the library,
what should I do?”
Images shared.
by the SBU show.
Dozens of small black drones.
Neatly stashed in wooden cabins.
Inside a warehouse.
Which ‘orcs’ military bloggers.
Pinpointed to a location.
In Chelyabinsk.
‘Supposing I were to find
a dead body
in the drawing-room,
what should I do?’
One drone expert said.
The drones used to hit ‘orcs’ aircraft.
Were simple quadcopters.
Carrying relatively heavy payloads.
He added that what made.
This attack “quite extraordinary”.
Was the ability to smuggle them.
Into ‘Mordor’.
Was the ability to smuggle them.
Into ‘Mordor’.
And then launch and.
Command them remotely.
– which he concluded.
Had been achieved through a link.
Relayed through a satellite.
Or the internet.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
Each of the 117 drones.
Launched had.
Its own pilot.
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
The drone expert also suggested.
It was likely the drones.
Were able to fly.
In using GPS.
But may have also overcome.
Localised ‘orcs’ jamming measures.
By manually piloting.
Drones remotely.
Kyiv has not shared details.
On the origin of the drones.
But since the start of the war.
Ukraine has become extremely efficient.
At manufacturing them.
– and it is possible the ones.
Used in this operation.
Were produced at home.
‘What I’ve been through this evening,’
Clarissa continued.
‘Oh dear, it reminds me
of Sir Walter Scott.’
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
“‘Mordor’ has had.
Very tangible losses.
And justifiably so.”
Said ‘Gandalf the Green’.
According to Ukraine.
41 strategic bombers.
Were hit and “at least”.
13 destroyed.
“Supposing I were to come down
one morning and find
a dead body in the library,
what should I do?”
‘Mordor’ has not confirmed.
Any losses of aircraft.
Beyond saying some planes.
Had been damaged.
Some videos show.
Damaged aircraft.
At the Olenegorsk air base.
In Murmansk.
Some videos show.
Damaged aircraft.
At the Belaya air base.
In Irkutsk.
‘Supposing I were to find
a dead body
in the drawing-room,
what should I do?’
The strategic missile-carrying bombers.
Targeted in the attack.
Are thought to be.
Are thought to be.
– among others –
The Tu-95.
Tu-22 and.
Tu-160.
Repairing them will be difficult and.
Because none are still.
In production.
Replacing them is impossible.
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
Radar satellite imagery.
Reveals at least four.
Badly damaged or destroyed.
‘Orcs’ long-range bombers.
At Belaya airbase.
This matches ‘elves’ drone footage.
Also showing an attack.
On a Tu-95 bomber.
“According to the laws.
And customs of war.
We have worked out.
Absolutely legitimate targets.”
“– military airfields.
And aircraft that bomb.
Our peaceful cities.”
Said the SBU head.
‘What I’ve been through this evening,’
Clarissa continued.
‘Oh dear, it reminds me
of Sir Walter Scott.’
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
Tu-95 bombers are said.
To have launched.
a large-scale.
Kh-101 missile attack.
On Ukraine.
As recently as last week.
Each bomber can carry.
Eight guided cruise missiles.
And each missile itself carries.
A 400kg warhead.
A-50 military spy planes.
Were also reportedly targeted.
They are valuable aircraft.
That boost ‘orcs’ ability.
To both intercept ‘elves’ missiles.
And to launch its own strikes.
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
It is not known.
How many A-50s.
‘Mordor’ has.
– but in February 2024.
The military intelligence chief.
Put that number at eight.
So any loss or damage could be.
A serious blow to ‘Mordor’.
She hesitated briefly,
then quickly went over
to the bookshelves and
activated the panel switch.
In a post on social media.
The SBU said.
Operation Spider Web cost.
‘Mordor’ $7bn.
‘Mordor’’s state media.
Stayed studiously quiet.
Stayed studiously quiet.
On the attacks.
With primetime.
Sunday TV shows.
Merely quoting statements.
By regional authorities.
By Monday morning.
By Monday morning.
The story had disappeared.
From the bulletins.
The panel opened,
and she backed into it.
‘Exit Clarissa mysteriously,’
she declaimed in a dramatic stage whisper.
On the internet and.
Beyond ‘elves’ celebrated.
With one lauding the operation.
As “titanic”.
‘O what a tangled web
we weave,
when first we practice
to deceive.’
“Of course, not everything.
Can be revealed.
At this moment.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ wrote.
“But these are ‘elves’ actions.
That will undoubtedly.
Be in history books.”
Be in history books.”
*Because I read “How Ukraine carried out daring ‘Spider Web’ attack on Russian bombers” by Laura Gozzi & BBC Verify on 3 Jun 2025, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of Vasyl Maliuk, and an analysis of Dr Steve Wright, inspired by the title and the play itself of ‘Spider’s Web’ written by Agatha Christie (novelised by Charles Osborne), you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
How Ukraine carried out daring ‘Spider Web’ attack on Russian bombers
