4 days ago
Russia Ukraine war: Satellite images reveal massive destruction of warplanes caused by Sunday's drone strikes at air bases. See photos
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.
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia in Russia on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP photo)
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC captured on May 17, 2025 shows the Belaya Air Base before a Ukrainian drone attack in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia in Russia. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia in Russia on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia in Russia on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
FAQs
Satellite photos analyzed experts on Wednesday showed 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 showed 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 appeared to be destroyed. The planes were parked on an apron beside a runway surrounded by grassland. Other aircraft at the base appeared unscathed, as per by The Associated 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 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 President Vladimir Putin hasn't commented on the Tu-95 is a 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 has used the heavy planes in the all-out war, which began in February 2022, to launch waves of cruise missile strikes across 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.A1. President of Russia is Vladimir Putin.A2. Ukraine said that 41 Russian warplanes.
