- Ukraine said it shot down the Tu-22M3 bomber about 1,100 miles from its border.
- This would be Ukraine’s most serious attack on Russian territory since the war began.
- The Tu-22M3 is a long-range supersonic bomber designed to destroy naval and ground targets.
Ukraine is Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber Record-breaking Ukrainianska Pravda 1,100 miles from the border Reported on SaturdayHe made the remarks citing information from the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service.
According to the intelligence source, Ukraine used a reconnaissance drone to attack the Olenya airfield in the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk, which it described as a “strategic aircraft base of the Russian occupation forces.”
If confirmed, it would be Ukraine’s most serious attack on Russian territory since the start of the war and would raise serious questions about Russia’s air defenses.
This would break the previous record of just over 800 miles per hour, set in May when Ukrainian forces attacked an oil refinery in Salavat, in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan.
Satellite imagery of Olenya Airfield reviewed by Business Insider shows a large number of bombers stationed at the site.
Defense blogger David Axe report At any one time, Olenya Air Base is home to approximately 63 Tu-22M3s, 55 Tu-95s and 17 Tu-160s.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment. report He spoke about the attack, citing a person familiar with the operation.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the reports.
Ukraine Increasing attacks on Russian airfields These past few months.
Retired Australian Army General Mick Ryan wrote: Substack Earlier this year, Russia warned that such attacks “may force us to reassess our air defense resources and redeploy these assets further away from where they are needed most.”
But if the attack on Olenya is confirmed, it would suggest that Russian aircraft are vulnerable deep inside Russian territory.
Tu-22M3
According to its manufacturer, the Tu-22M3 is a “long-range supersonic missile bomber” designed to destroy naval and ground targets using guided missiles and aerial bombs. Tupolev Website.
Kirillo Budanov, head of the Defense Intelligence Service of Ukraine (HUR), previously said: BBC Ukraine He said the Soviet-era planes were equipped with Kh-22 missiles, which he added “probably caused the most destruction in Odessa in southern Ukraine.”
Ukraine said The first Tu-22M3 was launched A scene from the April war at an airbase in southern Russia, about 200 miles from Ukraine.
A video shared on X appears to show the bomb plane falling through the sky.
Earlier this month, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had thwarted a Ukrainian plot to hijack a Tu-22M3 and fly it to Ukraine.
“Ukrainian intelligence services intended to recruit Russian pilots in exchange for financial compensation and the granting of Italian citizenship to persuade them to land missile carriers in Ukraine,” the FSB said on its website. Reuters report.
