(ENGELS, SARATOV OBLAST, RUSSIA) – A Ukrainian drone strike has damaged a Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber at the Engels-2 air base, the second such attack on the same facility in six weeks, according to the Security Service of Ukraine.
The SBU said it carried out a strike on the Engels airfield in the Saratov region of Russia, approximately 800 kilometres from Ukrainian territory.
The SBU also said it hit an ammunition depot and a fuel and lubricants depot at the site.
Satellite imagery confirmed some of the damage shortly after the strike.
According to Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi, the Tu-95 was being used for training flights at the Engels-2 air base and was operated in tandem with another aircraft.
That other aircraft was destroyed by SBU drones on 17th July this year, when its tail section was completely detached.
Given the extent of the structural damage in the July strike, the aircraft is considered beyond repair.
Mass production of the Tu-95 ceased several decades ago, and it is unknown whether Russia is currently capable of restoring damaged bombers to service.
The most recent strike damaged a portion of the aircraft’s wing, which could theoretically be repaired using parts from other aircraft.
According to Ukrainian intelligence data published several days before the strike, Russia had 38 combat ready Tu-95 bombers. Following this strike, the number stands at 37.
At the beginning of the full scale invasion, Russia was estimated to have between 55 and 60 Tu-95 bombers, meaning the fleet is now at approximately 60 percent of its original strength.
The Tu-95 is a Soviet era strategic bomber that has been used by Russia to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian territory since the early days of the war.
The aircraft are considered priority targets because they are the launch platforms for missiles that are difficult for Ukraine to intercept.
Russian military bloggers offered conflicting assessments of the strike. One, writing under the name Fighterbomber, claimed that all flight capable aircraft were removed from Engels years ago and suggested the target may have been a decoy.
Another Russian military informant said the July strike caused damage that is “simply impossible and impractical” to repair, adding that protective shelters for bombers were being constructed at the air base but work was still in progress at the time of the attack.
“Apparently, the enemy decided to inflict damage before the strategic aircraft were hidden in the shelters. A clear illustration of the cost of delaying decisions and denying reality,” the informant said.
Separately, the Achilles unit of the 429th Regiment of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces released footage showing reconnaissance drones observing the Malvo airfield in the Rostov region of Russia, approximately 170 kilometres from the front line.
The unit said it is establishing fire control over the airfield, from which Russia regularly launches Shahed drones and other strike and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles against eastern, central and northern regions of Ukraine.
During the operation, the unit struck a Nebo-M radar system at the airfield, with an estimated cost of 100 million US dollars, equivalent to approximately 78 million British pounds.
Footage released by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Achilles unit of the 429th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed the strikes.
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