Furious Putin chasing Ukrainian agent who tricked drivers into delivering kamikaze drones

Russia are on the hunt for a Ukrainian 'agent' who duped truck drivers into delivering attack drones (Image: Getty)

Vladimir Putin has launched a manhunt to find a key Ukrainian agent who arranged trucks full of kamikaze drones to be driven into the heart of Russia in the audacious operation that knocked out a third of his strategic bombers.

More that 100 drones costing just $2,000 each were released from the back of vehicles parked close to five miitary airfieds spread across thousands of miles throughout the superpower, striking parked aircraft and causing £5billion worth of damage.

Operation Spider's Web took 18 months of planning before being approved by Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky and was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The drones were smuggled into Russia and placed in prefabricated wooden houses before trucks transported the devices to their targets.

Ukraine claims it wiped out more than 40 Russian aircraft in the attack. (Image: Getty)

And now Russian authorities are chasing a man they believe had an important role to play in the operation - 37-year-old Ukrainian Artem Timofeev, who lived in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia prior to the strikes, according to the Baza Telegram channel that claims to have links with Russia’s security force.

Alleged images and details of Timofeev surfaced on a Chelyabinsk administration Telegram feed this week before being deleted - later reappearing on Russian social media.

He was reportedly born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, and lived in Jyiv up until a few years ago before moving to Russia.

He registered himself as the owner of a cargo transportation company, purchasing several trucks in October 2024 - aligning with the long-term planning Zelensky has alluded to.

Reports emerged shortly after the operation was carried out claiming drivers who drove the trucks had been captured and all told the same story - Timofeev had hired them to deliver frame houses in the Irkutsk, Murmansk, Ryazan and Ivanovo regions.

During their journeys, the drivers receieved a phone call instructing them to pull into a parking area of some kind close to what would be the eventual done targets.

United States President Donald Trump hasconfirmed he had spoken with his Russian counterpart about the attacks, saying: "President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," and that the call "was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace".

Meanwhile, President Zelensky insists all those involved in the operation had been safely evacuated to Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Ukraine set off an explosion on the seabed beneath the Kerch Bridge, a vital transport link between Russia and illegally annexed Crimea, claiming it caused damage to the structure.