These satellite photos show Russian bombers Ukraine says it destroyed
Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press on Wednesday show seven destroyed bombers on the tarmac at a Russian air base in eastern Siberia, one of the targets Ukraine said it struck with drones in one of the most daring covert operations of the war.
The photos provided by Planet Labs PBC show aircraft wreckage and scorched areas at the Belaya Air Base, a major installation for Russia's long-range bomber force. In the images, at least three Tu-95 bombers and four Tu-22Ms appear to be destroyed.
The planes were parked on an apron beside a runway surrounded by grassland. Other aircraft at the base appear unscathed.
Ukraine said that 41 Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers and other types of combat aircraft, were destroyed or damaged in Sunday's operation, which officials said was planned over 18 months. The attack delivered a heavy blow to Russia's air force and its military prestige.
It has so far been impossible to confirm the full extent of the damage. Russia has claimed Ukraine's estimates are exaggerated.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack set several warplanes ablaze at air bases in the Irkutsk region and the Murmansk region in the north, but the fires were extinguished. It also said Ukraine also tried to strike two air bases in western Russia, as well as another one in the Amur region of Russia's Far East, but those attacks were repelled.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't commented on the issue.
The Tu-95 is a four-engine turboprop plane that can fly intercontinental missions and was designed in the 1950s to rival the U.S. B-52 bomber.
The Tupolev Tu-22M is a sweep-wing twin-engine supersonic bomber.
Russia has used the heavy planes in the all-out war, which began in February 2022, to launch waves of cruise missile strikes across Ukraine.
For decades, long-range bombers have been part of the Soviet and Russian nuclear triad that also includes land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and atomic-powered submarines carrying ICBMs. The strategic bombers have flown regular patrols around the globe showcasing Moscow's nuclear might.
___
Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
30 minutes ago
Peruvian migrant acquitted in the first trial over the new militarized zone at US-Mexico border
EL PASO, Texas -- A Peruvian woman who crossed the U.S. border illegally was acquitted Thursday of unauthorized access to a newly designated militarized zone in the first trial under the Trump administration's efforts to prosecute immigrants who cross in certain parts of New Mexico and western Texas. Adely Vanessa De La Cruz-Alvarez, 21, was arrested last month near the West Texas town of Tornillo after she entered the U.S. from Mexico by walking across the riverbed of the Rio Grande, court documents show. In addition to being charged with entering the country illegally, she was charged with accessing a military zone. She is among several other immigrants who have been charged under the law since President Donald Trump's administration transferred oversight of a strip of land along the border to the military. It is as part of a new approach the Department of Justice is taking to crack down on illegal immigration. The Associated Press left messages Thursday with De La Cruz-Alvarez's attorney, Veronica Teresa Lerma. The lawyer told The Texas Tribune the acquittal is significant. 'Hopefully, this sets the tone for the federal government,' Lerma said, 'so they know what the El Paso community will do with these charges.' Even before the woman's case went to trial, federal magistrate judges in neighboring New Mexico had dismissed similar cases, finding little evidence that immigrants knew about the zones. Lerma was convicted of entering the country illegally and was already facing deportation, but could have faced up to 18 months in prison for entering the militarized zone. Despite the verdict, U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons of the Western District of Texas said his office will continue to aggressively prosecute National Defense Area violations. 'At the end of the day, another illegal alien has been found guilty of illegally entering the country in violation of the improper entry statute and will be removed from the United States,' Simmons said in a statement. "That's a win for America." The administration wants to sharply increase the removal of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally as Trump seeks to make good on his pledge of mass deportations. The administration has deployed thousands of troops to the border, while arrests have plunged to the lowest levels since the mid-1960s.
UPI
30 minutes ago
- UPI
North Korea raises capsized warship after failed launch
SEOUL, June 6 (UPI) -- North Korea righted a capsized 5,000-ton warship and moored it at a pier in the Chongjin Shipyard on the country's east coast, state-run media reported, two weeks after a failed launch that leader Kim Jong Un condemned as a "criminal act." "After restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the [restoration] team moored it at the pier by safely conducting its end launching on Thursday afternoon," the official Korean Central News Agency reported. "The team will start the next-stage restoration after the reexamination of a group of experts into the overall hull of the destroyer," KCNA said The article corresponds with commercial satellite imagery analyzed by North Korea-focused website 38 North, which reported Thursday that the North had managed to launch the ship after returning it to an upright position earlier this week. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff also confirmed the ship had been righted in a press briefing Thursday. The next phase of the repair will take place at Rajin Dockyard over the next seven to ten days, the KCNA report said. Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from the ruling Workers' Party, was quoted as saying that the "perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail" before a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party central committee in late June. Kim Jong Un demanded that the warship be restored by the start of the party congress and warned of serious consequences for those found responsible for the launch mishap. Kim was in attendance at the destroyer's botched launch on May 21, and called it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism which is out of the bounds of possibility and could not be tolerated." At least four officials have been arrested so far, including vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department Ri Hyong Son, according to state media. South Korea's military assessed that the North had attempted to "side-launch" the vessel by sliding it into the water sideways rather than launching it from a drydock, a technique analysts believe Pyongyang had never used before. The destroyer was the second warship introduced by North Korea in recent weeks, following the launch of its 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer at the Nampo Shipyard on April 25. That vessel is armed with a wide range of weapons, including supersonic cruise missiles and strategic cruise missiles, according to North Korean reports. Photos released by the North showed that the Choe Hyon's missile and radar systems resemble those found on Russian vessels, prompting speculation that Pyongyang received technical assistance from Moscow in its development. North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow's war against Ukraine, and is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs. On Thursday, Kim Jong Un told Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu that Pyongyang would continue to "unconditionally support" Moscow, according to KCNA.
34 minutes ago
Colombia reports 33% drop in deforestation in early 2025, with major progress in Amazon parks
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia saw a 33% drop in deforestation in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, the environment ministry said Thursday, citing stronger community coordination and a crackdown on environmental crime. Speaking at a press conference, Environment Minister Lena Estrada Añokazi said deforestation fell from 40,219 hectares in early 2024 to 27,000 hectares this year. The government identified 18 active deforestation hot spots, including 13 in the Amazon and others in regions like Catatumbo, Arauca and the Pacific north. 'In the Amazon's national parks, deforestation dropped by 54% ... which is a very good result,' Estrada said, highlighting gains in Amazonian parks Tinigua, Chiribiquete and La Macarena. The Amazon remains Colombia's most affected region, accounting for 69% of the country's deforestation. The departments — Colombia's main administrative divisions — of Meta, Caquetá and Guaviare saw the biggest declines, while Putumayo had a slight increase. Estrada attributed the decline to the government's integrated plan to curb deforestation, which includes community agreements, institutional strengthening, and joint operations with the Defense Ministry and Attorney General's Office. A recent report by Colombia's inspector general noted that while deforestation dropped overall, pressure on protected areas remains intense, with illegal coca cultivation and unregulated mining advancing into national parks. The independent watchdog said that between October 2024 and March 2025, nearly 88,900 hectares of forest were lost nationwide, much of it in areas designated for environmental conservation. The minister said the efforts have led to key arrests, including of individuals tied to the environmental sector. Looking ahead, Estrada outlined a territorial action plan to further engage local and Indigenous authorities. A series of regional meetings is set to begin in June, starting in Villavicencio with Amazon and Orinoquia leaders. Deforestation in Colombia is mostly driven by land grabbing, illegal road building, cattle ranching, illicit mining and coca cultivation, the raw ingredient to produce cocaine. The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
