### Ukraine Uses AI-Enhanced Drones in Strikes on Russian Strategic Bombers

Ukrainian security services have unveiled new footage showcasing their "Spider Web" strikes on Russia's nuclear-capable bombers, deep within Russian territory. The operation utilized cutting-edge UAV control technology that integrates autonomous AI algorithms with manual operator inputs, according to Ukraine's main counterintelligence agency, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

During the mission, some drones lost signal and switched to an AI-controlled mode, following a preplanned route to their targets. Upon reaching their designated targets, the drones' warheads were automatically activated. The SBU disclosed video evidence that shows Ukrainian drones hitting engines, antennas, wings, and other parts of Russian strategic and reconnaissance aircraft at four military airfields inside Russia—facilities frequently used to launch missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Several types of aircraft were reportedly affected, including the 'A-50,' 'Tu-95,' 'Tu-22,' 'Tu-160,' as well as the 'An-12' and 'Il-78.' The SBU claims this operation inflicted over $7 billion in financial damage to Russia. Open source intelligence experts and journalists have corroborated the destruction of at least 11 strategic bombers using newly released satellite imagery.

While the unprecedented "Spider Web" operation has drawn praise for redefining modern warfare tactics, it has also raised concerns among international observers. Keith Kellogg, U.S. Special Envoy on Ukraine, expressed apprehensions about the risks involved in attacking components of Russia's nuclear triad. "When you attack an opponent's part of the national survival system, which is their triad, their nuclear triad - that means your risk level goes up because you don't know what the other is going to do... It's a very emboldened act. And when you do that, it's very clear that the risk levels will go up. That is what we try to avoid," Kellogg stated in an interview with Fox News.

The strikes have provided a substantial morale boost in Ukraine, where Russian forces are making advances in the eastern Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, and expanding their offensive into the northeastern region of Sumy. In response, the Russian Defense Ministry downplayed the damage, asserting that attacks were limited to airfields in the Irkutsk and Murmansk regions, with no injuries reported in military or civilian personnel.

Russian authorities are currently investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed the legitimacy of the operation, emphasizing that it targeted military assets used to perpetrate Russian terror. Zelenskyy awarded the operation's participants and reiterated that the strikes would not have occurred had Moscow agreed to an unconditional ceasefire. "Had there been a ceasefire before our operation, there'd be no operation. Wanting a ceasefire doesn't mean we do nothing in the meantime," Zelenskyy stated.