The Security Service of Ukraine has reported striking a Tu-95MS strategic bomber at the Engels military airfield in Russia’s Saratov Region.
Details of the operation were published by the SBU press service.
Long-range drones were used in the attack, travelling about 800 km to reach the target. In addition to the bomber, Ukrainian drones, according to preliminary information, hit an ammunition depot and a facility storing fuel and lubricants.
The SBU noted that this is the second Tu-95MS the service has struck in recent months. During the previous attack on 17 July, one of these aircraft sustained critical damage, with its tail section completely torn off.
“Striking the enemy’s strategic aviation means fewer missile carriers capable of launching attacks on Ukraine. For Russia, it also means multi-million losses and further proof that even the most remote military facilities are within reach of Ukrainian forces,” the Security Service explained.
- Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine’s Defence Forces had struck a number of Russian targets. Over the course of a day, Ukrainian troops hit an oil refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region. The facility is located about 1,000 km from the front line.
- Ukrainian troops also carried out strikes on Russian targets in the Black Sea. Separately, Zelenskyy reported the strike on a Tu-95MS missile carrier at the Russian military airfield in Engels.