A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M3 in 1992.
Photo by Mike Freer
Ukrainian intelligence may have pulled off its most impressive attack on Russian territory since Russia escalated its war against Ukraine 28 months ago.
according to Ukrainian PravdaIntelligence sources said the agency flew a long-range attack drone a whopping 1,100 miles on Saturday to attack Olenya Airfield, a Russian Air Force bomber base in Murmansk in northern Russia.
The attack on Olenya was reportedly part of a wider Ukrainian operation that has sent explosive drones at two other airbases and an oil refinery.
Ukraine’s intelligence services have stepped up strikes on targets in Russia with an increased number of domestically manufactured drones. Airfields and oil refineries are the main targets, but the drones have also struck weapons factories and space facilities. Russia’s stretched air defense forces have struggled to shoot down the drones as their range has expanded.
The alleged 1,100-mile raid beat the previous record set by a Ukrainian drone pilot by 300 miles.An unmanned version of a propeller-driven sports aircraft— attacking the Russian oil refinery in Salavat, more than 800 miles from the Ukrainian front line.
Assuming the attack did indeed take place, it’s unclear what kind of drone the Ukrainian military aimed at Olenya. A modified sports plane might be the farthest-flying drone, but Kiev’s intelligence agency operates more than a dozen other types of drones.
Either way, it’s clear why The service hopes to strike at the Olenya base, one of several that regularly support the Russian Air Force’s Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers.
Approximately 63 Tu-22M3s, 55 Tu-95s, and 17 Tu-160s frequently attack Ukrainian military forces and civilians with cruise missiles. These massed missile attacks are aimed at overwhelming Ukraine’s air defenses, and have often been successful.
The bombers typically fire their missiles from hundreds of miles away, too far for most of Ukraine’s air defense forces to effectively strike back. However, rare Ukrainian S-200 heavy surface-to-air missiles Could have been a hit A Tu-22M3 flying over southern Russia in April.
No, the Ukrainian military typically targets the 139-foot-long swing-wing bombers on the ground. In 2022 and again last year, Ukrainian drones targeted Tu-22M3s at bases inside Russia, destroying one bomber and appearing to damage another.
It was unclear whether any parked bombers were shot down in Saturday’s Olenya raid. I never have It’s unclear. The Kremlin rarely acknowledges such losses, leaving outside observers to examine the burned remains of the aircraft on commercial satellite images. No image The remains of a Tu-22M3 can be clearly seen at the northern base.
what teeth What is clear is that Kiev’s agents are not only continuing their attacks on Russia’s most powerful parked fighter jets; Escalate Saturday’s attack Pravda Russian bombers are reportedly not safe anywhere within 1,000 miles of the front line.
