Experts have called the strikes on Russia’s rear the boldest attack on Russian territory in the nine-month war and compared the incident in terms of its military weight to the destruction of the missile cruiser Moskva.
Ukraine hits airfields with enemy strategic bombers outside Russia? The attacks on the Engels-2 air base in the Saratov region (about 730 km from the territory of Ukraine) and the Diaghilevo air base in the Ryazan region (about 500 km from Ukraine) shocked the whole world.
Strategic failure
According to British intelligence, the explosions at the Engels and Dyagilevo military airfields can be assessed as one of the most strategically significant failures of Russia’s defense since the invasion of Ukraine.
Engels is the main operational base of Russian long-range aviation in the west of the Russian Federation, where more than 30 heavy bombers are based. “These aircraft contribute to Russia’s nuclear deterrent and are also often used to launch conventional cruise missiles at Ukraine,” the report said.
Works in the Ukrainian special forces
The drones that attacked airfields in the Saratov and Ryazan regions on December 5 were launched from Ukraine, The New York Times reported, citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.
At least one of the attacks was coordinated by a group of Ukrainian special forces who were close to the Russian base and helped direct the drones to the target. At the same time, it is not clear how it got into the territory of the Russian Federation, the newspaper notes.
The incidents at the airports indicate that Kyiv is ready to attack Russian military bases in the rear, writes The New York Times. In addition, the article notes, these attacks demonstrate Ukraine’s ability to strike at long distances.
The newspaper calls this operation “the boldest” for the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the war.
Ingifts in advance
“Drone strikes were carried out in advance on two bases where Russian missile carriers are preparing to attack Ukraine. In the photo of a Tu-22M3 missile carrier damaged by a drone at the Diaghilev air base, we see a clearly suspended Kh-22 cruise missile, which is used in attacks on Ukraine from this air base in particular. So, before the attack, the Ukrainian command received information about the nature of the actions of the enemy, the plan, and the concept of the operation; Russian planes were found at the airports. And certainly the planes where the missiles were suspended were hit. This is a very high accuracy, “said by military observer Yuri Butusov.
Ukrainian ingenuity
The Guardian writes that strikes on airfields behind Russian lines underscore Ukraine’s tactical ingenuity.” Since October, the Kremlin has been using these strategic bombers to gradually destroy infrastructure of Ukraine’s energy, leaving millions without heat and electricity as winter approaches.
There is speculation that Ukraine has developed an attack drone with an impressive range of 1,000 km, according to a version of The Guardian. “If this is true, it means that most of the European part of Russia is now within the reach of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And that the asymmetric advantage that Moscow enjoys this year – the ability to freely launch cruise missiles from the depths of Russia itself – is under threat,” said Luke Harding, a journalist for The Guardian and author of a new book about the Russian war (Invasion. : Russia’s Bloody War and the Fighting of Ukraine for Safety).
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.