And how significant a result can such a strike on Russian strategic aviation airfields be?

Today, December 5, 2022, in the morning, there were reports that an unknown drone crashed on the runway of the Russian Engels airfield in the Saratov region of the Russian Federation. According to some reports, the explosion damaged two Tu-95MS strategic bombers. The explosion was so strong that it was heard in a residential neighborhood several kilometers from the airport, as evidenced by the video. It is in this video that we can hear the sound of a subsonic jet “cigarette butt” “arriving”.

The geolocation shows that the video was shot at this point, which is actually a few kilometers from the Engels airfield, literally opposite the runway.

It should be noted that Engels is the regular airbase of the 121st and 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiments armed with Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers.

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In addition, there was also a report that a strong explosion occurred today at “one of the airfields” in the Razyan region of the Russian Federation. According to the official version, it was a fuel truck that exploded at the airport. But as the racist “military commanders” are already complaining, this “explosion of a fuel truck” is the most severe in their memory, because there were two dead and three wounded.

It is likely that this refers to the Dyahylevo airfield, which was also used for missile attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure.

Tu-141 Strizh, illustrative photo
Tu-141 Strizh, illustrative photo

In both cases, we are talking about facilities located more than 600 kilometers from the state border of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not have such long-range “regular” weapons.

Therefore, it is quite possible that improvised means were used, for example, Soviet Tu-141 Strizh drones, which can carry up to 150 kg of payload and have a range of up to 1000 km.

Aircraft density at the Engels airfield, satellite image for November 27, 2022
Aircraft density at the Engels airfield, satellite image for November 27, 2022

Unfortunately, we cannot yet say that today’s “cotton” can force the Russians to stop firing missiles at Ukraine. Even if two Tu-95MS are damaged at once, the orcs have about 60 of these bombers, of which at least 20 are operational.

Finally, satellite imagery shows that in early December of this year, the number of racist planes at Engels airfield decreased slightly, meaning that the “catch” was potentially less than we would have liked.

Density of aircraft at Engels airfield, satellite image for December 2, 2022
Density of aircraft at Engels airfield, satellite image for December 2, 2022

But on the other hand, the very demonstration of the ability to “get” racist objects more than five hundred kilometers deep into enemy territory has a significant symbolic meaning for our spirit. In much the same way as the American “Doolittle Raid” in 1942 over Tokyo was important for the US victory over Japan in 1945.

Source: Defense Express

Автор: Юрій Гончаренко

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