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Fuel Destroyed by AFU Near Engels Airfield Could Provide 900 Combat Missions for Tu-22M3 Strategic Bombers

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Tu-22M3 strategic bomber / Open source illustrative photo
Tu-22M3 strategic bomber / Open source illustrative photo

The destruction of aviation fuel reserves near the russian Engels airbase is an important strategic blow by the Ukrainian Defense Forces to the military logistics of the russian federation

This was stated by the Ukrainian expert, deputy director of the company for the production of electronic warfare equipment Anatoly Khrapchinsky on the air of the We-Ukraine TV channel.

The expert noted that the 800 thousand tons of fuel destroyed by the Ukrainian military could provide up to 900 combat missions for a group of 21 aircraft, each of which uses 6 tons of fuel per hour of flight.

Read more: ​Engels Airbase Still on Fire: Ukrainian Military Announces Completion of Complex Multi-Day Operation

The russian invading forces are actively using these aircraft to strike Ukraine, equipping them with Kh-22 or Kh-32 missiles. However, the destruction of such fuel reserves complicates logistics as well as may significantly limit the russian federation's combat capabilities in the future.

Fuel Destroyed by AFU Near Engels Airfield Could Provide 900 Combat Missions for Tu-22M3 Strategic Bombers, The oil depot near Engels air base after a Ukrainian drone strike
The oil depot near Engels air base after a Ukrainian drone strike / Open-source photo

"In principle, there is a strategic vision of these strikes on strategic objects of the russian federation, but it is necessary to understand that this does not mean that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow there will be no attempt by the russian federation to launch missile strikes," Khrapchinsky emphasized.

He noted that the Defense Forces of Ukraine must continue to work in this direction.

"We are destroying the possibility of producing some special additives, without which it is impossible to produce aviation fuel, which is specifically intended for these aircraft (strategic bombers from the russian nuclear triad - ed.). We must continue to work actively in this direction, just as we must transfer the war to the territory of the russian federation," the expert added.

As Defense Express reported, on the night of January 8, Ukrainian long-range drones attacked the Kombinat Kristall oil storage facility of russia's Federal Agency for State Reserves in the Saratov region. That is where russians stored specific aviation fuels for their Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers, meaning devastating consequences of the strike, potentially leaving russian strategic aircraft grounded for some time. Damage was confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Fuel Destroyed by AFU Near Engels Airfield Could Provide 900 Combat Missions for Tu-22M3 Strategic Bombers, Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, Defense Express
Tu-22M3 strategic bomber / Open source illustrative photo

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We also wrote that on the night of Friday, January 24, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck strategically important objects on the territory of russia. In particular, the Ryazan Oil Refinery was hit as a result of the strikes.

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Read more: ​Ukraine Launched Largest and Most Effective Air Attack to Date