Russia withdraws aircraft: consequences of Ukrainian drone strikes
12 June 08:13
After a series of accurate strikes by Ukrainian drones on Russian air bases, Moscow was forced to regroup its air forces. According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, Russia has moved some of its most expensive and valuable aircraft away from the Ukrainian border, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
In particular, two Tu-160 strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons have been moved to a remote base in Anadyr, about 6,437 kilometers from the front line. According to satellite imagery, this airbase can only be accessed by air or sea. It is located on the Chukchi Peninsula, a sparsely populated region about 660 kilometers from the coast of Alaska.
The base was built during the Cold War as a defense against a potential US attack. Now it has become a haven for strategic aircraft that Russia seeks to protect from Ukrainian attacks.
The Tu-160 bombers are not just war machines, but one of the main symbols of Russian aviation power. Their cost is estimated at about $500 million each, which is several times higher than the price of the American B-52 Stratofortress ($94 million). But the main thing is that Russia has only about 16 such aircraft.
According to analysts, the attacks by Ukrainian UAVs during the June 1 Operation “Spider’s Web” could have damaged several of these aircraft, which was the impetus for their relocation. This is confirmed by Justin Bronk, a senior aviation researcher at the Royal United Services Institute. He believes that satellite images of the Anadyr base indicate the Kremlin’s intention to minimize the risk of further losses.
Thus, the Ukrainian strategy of drone strikes is beginning to yield real results: Russia is losing confidence in the security of its key military facilities even thousands of kilometers from the front line.
On June 1, the SBU struck four Russian airfields: Olenya, Ivanovo, Diagilevo and Belaya. Strategic aircraft are based there and regularly shell peaceful Ukrainian cities.
The total losses of enemy aircraft amounted to 41 units, including A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, as well as An-12 and Il-78. Russia is unable to produce most types of these aircraft, but only repairs and modernizes what it inherited from the Soviet Union.
Attack 4300 kilometers in depth
Ukraine has reported an attack on four Russian air bases using 117 drones launched from containers near the targets in an operation codenamed “Web.” On Wednesday, footage was released of the drones attacking Russian strategic bombers and hitting the dome antennas of two A-50 reconnaissance aircraft.
Zelenskyy said that half of the 41 attacked Russian planes had sustained damage beyond repair.
The SBU estimated the damage caused by Russia at $7 billion, saying that 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia’s main airfields were hit. Satellite imagery shows damaged Russian Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers used by Russia to launch missile strikes against Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry has acknowledged attacks on airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions. The ministry said that the attacks were repelled in the latter three regions, and that several planes caught fire in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions.
The attack has boosted Ukrainian morale after months of relentless Russian pressure on the frontline and Moscow’s powerful drone and missile strikes. It also demonstrated that Kyiv can hit targets deep in Russian territory at a distance of up to 4,300 kilometers from the front line.
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