Russian prosecutors on Wednesday sought terrorism charges against the drivers involved in Ukraine’s devastating “Operation Spiderweb.”
On June 1, 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched hidden drones from modular houses mounted on truck beds, striking Russia’s strategic bombers across four airfields and crippling 41 aircraft in what is now widely known as “Operation Spiderweb.”
Russian outlet Kommersant reported on Wednesday that prosecutors are seeking terrorism charges – accusing the individuals of operating as a terrorist group – against four of the five truck drivers involved, excluding the one who died during the attack.
The drivers maintain they were simply performing their delivery jobs, unaware of Kyiv’s operation – a claim that aligns with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statements following the strike.
Terrorism charges
The drivers are accused of carrying out a terrorist act as a group, causing significant damage.
Five drivers were said to be involved in the operation:
- 55-year-old Mikhail Ryumin
- 47-year-old Sergei Kanurin
- 61-year-old Andrey Merkuryev
- 56-year-old Alexander Zaitsev
- 62-year-old Vasily Pytikov
According to Russian outlet Meduza in September 2025, Pytikov was killed during the operation when his truck exploded, while the remaining four were arrested in various regions of Russia.
On Wednesday, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court approved a request from the Investigative Committee’s Main Directorate for Particularly Important Cases to extend the pretrial detention of Ryumin and Kanurin. Lawyers representing both said they were merely caught in the operation and rejected claims that they worked on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence.
Russian authorities also named three masterminds: Artem Timofeev, Ekaterina Timofeev, and a suspect identified only as Borisovsky, who remains at large; they said the three were responsible for scouting locations and planning the attack.
According to Kommersant, the Russian indictment claims that Ukrainian SBU officers created a terrorist group to target Russian military facilities and civilians, and that they recruited drivers to transport hidden drones disguised in trailer cargo to airfields. On June 1, 2025, the drones were activated, damaging Russian aircraft and causing an estimated 2 billion rubles ($26 million) in losses.
In October 2025, the chief of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) had blamed British intelligence services for “Operation Spiderweb” without backing up the claim.
The former head of the SBU said in August 2025 that 150 drones were used in the attack.