In a stunning turn of events, a prominent Russian long-range bomber has been obliterated in a drone strike carried out by Ukraine, recent reports confirm.
Captured images circulating on social media, meticulously analyzed by independent sources, depict a Tupolev Tu-22 engulfed in flames at the Soltsy-2 airbase, situated south of St Petersburg.
Officials in Moscow claim that a drone came under small-arms fire but still managed to “cause damage” to an aircraft. However, there has been no official statement from Ukraine regarding the incident.
The Tupolev Tu-22, capable of reaching twice the speed of sound, has been extensively deployed by Russia for launching attacks on Ukrainian cities.
A statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defence disclosed that the incident took place around 10:00 Moscow time (08:00 BST) and occurred at “a military airfield in the Novgorod region,” which corresponds to the location of Soltsy-2.
“The UAV was detected by the airfield’s observation outpost and was hit with small-arms fire,” the ministry stated.
“An airplane was damaged; fortunately, there were no casualties resulting from this act of terrorism.”
The ministry’s statement also mentioned that a fire that erupted in the airfield parking area was rapidly brought under control.
Contrastingly, images shared on the Telegram social media platform showed a significant conflagration engulfing the jet, with the distinctive nose cone of the Tu-22 clearly discernible. Independent analysis conducted by experts supports the credibility of these images.
Though the destruction of a single aircraft might have limited impact on Moscow’s substantial fleet of 60 aircraft, this incident underscores Kyiv’s growing capability to target deep within Russian territory.
Over the past few months, Kyiv has orchestrated numerous drone attacks on Moscow, a journey spanning several hundred miles. Soltsy-2, the site of the incident, is approximately 400 miles (650 km) away from the Ukrainian border.
However, the Russian MoD’s characterization of the drone as a “copter-type UAV” implies the utilization of an inexpensive, commercially available device launched from short range.
The Tu-22, a supersonic bomber with a swing-wing design hailing from the Cold War era, carries the codename “Backfire” in NATO parlance. It has been extensively employed for assaults on Ukrainian cities.
Contemporary iterations such as the Tu-22M3 can achieve speeds of up to Mach 2 (2,300 km/h or 1,430 mph) and can carry payloads of up to 24,000 kg, inclusive of “dumb bombs” and precision-guided missiles.
These aircraft have participated in conflicts in regions such as Syria, Chechnya, Georgia, and more recently, Ukraine.
According to Kyiv prosecutors, a missile launched from a Tu-22 resulted in the deaths of 30 individuals when it struck a residential building in Dnipro in January. The attack was attributed to Russia’s 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment, based at Soltsy-2.
By corroborating visual evidence, such as aircraft appearance and bay structures, with historical satellite images of the airbase, independent analysis confirms the Ukrainian drone strike on Soltsy-2. Weather conditions at the time of the attack, including overcast skies and damp conditions, also align with the images and witness accounts of the incident. The remnants of the aircraft depicted in the footage correspond to those of a Tu-22M3 bomber.
