In a long-range strike on the Engels airfield of the russian Aerospace Forces, the SSU's Alpha unit destroyed a Tu-95MS missile carrier used by russia to launch Kh-101 cruise missiles.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on the outcome of the strike.
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Earlier, residents of Saratov, where the airbase is located, filmed the Ukrainian drone attack and russian attempts to shoot them down.
Based on the video, the strike was carried out using MICH 2000 long-range drones, which are currently in use by the SSU's Special Operations Center Alpha.
The drone, which bears some resemblance to the Shahed but features canard foreplanes, is reportedly capable of flying up to 2,000 km and carrying a 60-kg warhead.
Furthermore, the destruction of yet another Tu-95MS means that the russians have even fewer options left for launching long-range strikes against Ukraine.
To answer the question of how many of these strategic aircraft russia still has, the latest data from the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine offers some insight. Just a few days ago, Ukrainian Шntelligence officials said that russia has 38 Tu-95s in service.
As of now, the enemy may have 37 Tu-95s in operational condition, in the MS and MSM variants. At the same time, "on paper", the russian Aerospace Forces have 47 such aircraft, of which about ten are unable to perform combat missions.
Satellite images showing the aftermath of the attack were later published. They showed that the Tu-95MS was missing part of its wing. Given the age of these aircraft and the limited repair options available, this indicates that the bomber was not merely damaged but effectively destroyed.
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