During the implementation of the large-scale special operation Spider's Web, Ukrainian special services were forced to bribe Russian customs officers in order to transport equipment that falls under sanctions.
The head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, told journalists about this, writes LIGA.net.
SBU had to bribe Russian customs officers during Operation Spider's Web
Malyuk said that in order to successfully carry out the operation, it was necessary to deliver autonomous houses with a group of goods under sanctions to the territory of Russia. It was then that the need arose to bribe Russian customs officers.
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— There was an option that we would work in winter. That’s why there was a solar battery system, an EcoFlow battery system. They were supposed to constantly recharge the drones if we were working in places where it was -50 degrees. The drone was supposed to start with a maximum charge. These houses were traveling separately. And when they were supposed to enter the territory of Russia, this is a sanctioned group of goods: EcoFlow, solar batteries. A whole story began, we were even forced to bribe Russian customs officers separately, — the head of the SBU shared.
The mission involved 117 drones. The manufacturers of the drones and the houses, as well as the drivers who transported them, had no idea about the real purpose of the cargo.
SBU Special Operation Web: What is Known
On June 1, Ukraine attacked Russian air bases far behind the front lines, even in Siberia and the Far North. Drones flew out of trucks equipped with special houses and hit enemy aircraft.
According to the SBU, 41 enemy aircraft were destroyed or damaged, including Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160 and A-50.
The special operation began in November 2023 in response to a new wave of massive shelling of Ukrainian cities. The goal was to destroy Russian missile carriers.
Only a limited circle of people knew about the Web, including President Volodymyr Zelensky and one of the SBU employees close to Vasyl Malyuk.
The SBU chief explained that the drones had a 1.6 kg high-explosive charge capable of penetrating the aircraft's hull and exploding inside. The priority was the fuel tanks, missiles on board, and avionics – components that Russia cannot quickly replace.
According to the head of the SBU, the best operators of the Special Operations Center A of the Security Service of Ukraine (SOA A) were involved in the operation.
— They came to the combat control point at 05:00, their phones were taken away. And the work began: each was given a target, a specific aircraft was allocated. Each had a terrain model, which took into account the relief, the location of houses, the route, how to fly. I had my own models, you saw the photo, — said Malyuk.
