(Kyiv) – The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has officially confirmed a major operation that struck deep inside Russia on 1 June, targeting several of the Kremlin’s most vital strategic air bases. The Ukrainian special operation destroyed or disabled more than forty military aircraft belonging to the Russian Federation, with losses estimated at around £5.5 billion (US$7 billion).
According to the SBU press centre, the operation successfully hit 34 percent of Russia’s cruise missile carrier aircraft. Independent assessments, including from Ukrainian journalist Vitaliy Glagola, suggest that over 36 percent of Russia’s entire strategic aviation fleet has now been knocked out as a result of the strikes.
At the time of the attack, Russia’s air bases at Belaya and Olenya held 79 Tu-22M3 bombers, 17 Tu-95MS aircraft, and 7 Tu-160 strategic bombers, along with various support planes such as the MiG-31, Il-78M, An-12 and An-26. Many of these aircraft were either destroyed outright or put out of service by the drone assault.
The attack was part of a deliberate Ukrainian effort to cripple Russia’s long-range air strike capabilities, which the Kremlin had been preparing for renewed missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. The destruction of such a large portion of this fleet represents a serious military and psychological blow to the Russian dictator’s forces, especially as these aircraft are crucial to carrying out strategic missile bombardments from a distance.
The Russian Ministry of Defence reluctantly confirmed the attacks, admitting that Ukrainian drones had reached their targets but claiming, without evidence, that there were no casualties. Meanwhile, the United States first confirmed it had knowledge of the Ukrainian operation before retracting that acknowledgement hours later.
