After Ukraine’s attack, Russia will no longer be able to use strategic Tu-95 or Tu-22s - WSJ
On Sunday, June 1, Ukraine targeted four military airfields inside Russia and destroyed over 40 combat aircraft, including Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, Censor.NET informs.
According to Military Balance+, a database of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, Russia had 54 Tu-22M3s and 58 Tu-95Ms before the SSU attack.
"It is unclear how many of these aircraft were in working order. In Russia, old planes have been stored for a long time and dismantled for spare parts," the publication noted.
The WSJ notes that the loss of dozens of long-range aircraft, which are crucial to Russia and its attacks against Ukraine, will seriously undermine Russia's military power, as Russia no longer produces the Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 aircraft that were among the damaged.
The attacks are a significant victory for Ukraine's deep strike programme, which uses drones to target critical targets in Russia, the publication adds.
According to Justin Bronk, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, it will take time to assess the extent of the damage, but it appears to have been a significant blow to Russian long-range aviation.
"The Ukrainian intelligence services have caused, certainly, the strongest blow in this war to the Russian long-range bomber fleet," Bronk concluded.
SSU special operation "Pavutyna"
According to Censor.NET's sources, on 1 June, the Security Service of Ukraine carried out a special operation "Pavutyna", launching a massive drone strike on Russian strategic aviation airfields.
The airfields of Olenya, Belaya, Dyagilevo and Ivanovo came under attack. They managed to hit 41 Russian aircraft, including A-50s, Tu-95s and Tu-22 M3s.
Later, the SSU clarified that the estimated cost of the enemy's strategic aviation, which was hit today as a result of the SSU's "Pavutyna" special operation, was $7 billion.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy listened to a report by the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk on the Operation "Pavutyna".
