President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law to expand Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), giving a major boost to its elite Alpha unit – the special forces team behind recent drone strikes on key Russian air bases.
In his Monday, July 28 evening address, Zelensky said the new law grants the SBU “more power to complete combat missions, destroy the occupiers, and carry out special operations to defend Ukraine.”
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He called Alpha operatives “among the most effective” in Ukraine’s security forces and announced a sharp increase in their numbers.
In June, the Alpha unit carried out Operation Spiderweb, a high-risk mission that used drones enhanced with artificial intelligence to strike airfields deep inside Russia. The attacks targeted bases in Olenya, Belaya, Ivanovo-Severny, and Diaghilev — destroying or damaging over 40 military aircraft, according to Western intelligence estimates.
Among the aircraft hit were strategic bombers such as the Tu-95 and Tu-22, as well as an A-50 airborne early warning plane. Ukrainian officials estimate the total damage could range from $2 billion to as much as $7 billion.
The drones, launched from inside Russian territory using cargo trucks hidden in plain sight, marked one of the most damaging strikes against the Russian Air Force since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Following the operation, Zelensky awarded honors to SBU members, calling the mission “a powerful example of Ukraine’s legal right to self-defense under international law.”
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The newly signed law increases the total SBU personnel from 27,000 to 37,000 in peacetime, and from 31,000 to 41,000 during wartime or other special conditions. The Alpha unit will grow to 10,000 members.
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