Russia contends with drone damage to strategic air power as Ukraine’s reach grows
Ukraine’s unprecedented drone strike on airbases deep inside Russia showcases its advanced capabilities
Ukraine said over 40 bombers, or about a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, were damaged or destroyed Sunday, although Moscow said only several planes were struck. The conflicting claims could not be independently verified, and video of the assault posted on social media showed only a couple of bombers hit.
But the bold attack demonstrated Ukraine’s capability to hit high-value targets anywhere in Russia, dealing a humiliating blow to the Kremlin and inflicting significant losses to Moscow’s war machine.
While some Russian military bloggers compared it to another infamous Sunday surprise attack – that of Japan’s strike on the US base at Pearl Harbour in 1941 – others rejected the analogy, arguing the actual damage was far less significant than Ukraine claimed.
Strategic aircraft, including the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M, were destroyed in the attack, according to Ukrainian security services (SBU).