【By Observer Network, Wang Shihua】Local time on June 1, Ukraine announced that it had used drones to attack military airports in the Murmansk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblast, Ivanovo Oblast, Ryazan Oblast, and Amur Oblast of Russia. The operation was codenamed "Spider Web" by Ukraine, which claimed to have destroyed or damaged more than 40 Russian strategic aircraft. Russia subsequently denied losing so many aircraft, while the latest commercial satellite images showed that Russia indeed suffered a significant loss of large aircraft in this attack.
According to reports from Reuters and "The War Zone" website on June 2, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) commercial satellite images show that four Tu-95 bombers and four Tu-22M3 bombers were confirmed to be hit and damaged at the Bereya base in Irkutsk Oblast. Four Tu-95s and one transport aircraft were damaged at the Olenya base in Murmansk Oblast. The total number of Russian losses is 13 large aircraft, including eight Tu-95 bombers.
Commercial satellite images show that at least four Tu-95s were damaged at the Irkutsk Bereya base. The image above shows the state of the Irkutsk base on May 31, social media.
The location where Ukrainian forces struck the Tu-95s, social media.
Other than these two bases, there are no signs of attacks on other Russian bases. The latest satellite images of the Gajilevo Air Base in Ryazan Oblast show that the Ukrainian drone attack did not cause substantial damage there. The only visible thing is the fire burn mark on the grass on the right side of the photo. It is likely the wreckage of a downed or electronically jammed drone that fell there. This airbase has three Tu-95MS strategic bombers, five Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, 14 Il-78M tanker/Il-76 transport aircraft, and two Su-30SM fighters.
All six Tu-160s at the Irkutsk Bereya base were on the airfield when it was attacked, but none were hit, social media.
On local time June 1, Ukrainian drones attacked military airports in the Murmansk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblast, Ivanovo Oblast, Ryazan Oblast, and Amur Oblast of Russia. The "Kyiv Post" reported that the operation was codenamed "Spider Web" by Ukraine, destroying or damaging more than 40 Russian strategic aircraft, including A-50 AWACS aircraft, Tu-95 strategic bombers, and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers.
By June 2, Ukraine changed its tone. Andriy Kovalenko, an official of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said that "at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed."
Despite this, President Zelenskyy and the National Security Bureau of Ukraine both released messages stating that this special operation, codenamed "Spider Web," struck 34% of Russia's strategic bombers at the airport. Regarding this claim, the "Operation Against Fake News" website of Russia released an article on June 1 stating that through analyzing videos released by Ukraine, it can be confirmed that this statement is a lie.
Russian analysis suggests that Ukraine may have actually destroyed only two Tu-95 strategic bombers and one An-12 transport aircraft. Other damaged aircraft can be restored to operational status after maintenance. Ukraine's claims about the results are inconsistent with reality.
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged that its large fleet was attacked but did not specify how many aircraft were damaged. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on June 1 that Ukraine had used drones to launch terrorist attacks on airports in several regions of Russia that day. The attacks caused several aircraft to catch fire in the Irkutsk Oblast and Murmansk Oblast. There were no casualties, and several participants in the terrorist attacks were arrested.
Regarding Russia's losses, "The War Zone" website commented that the Tu-95MS fleet was produced in the late Soviet period, with the last Tu-95MS delivered in 1992. Therefore, the loss of these large aircraft is irrecoverable. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia's forces may have been slightly less than 50 Tu-95MSM aircraft. If the reports of destroying several aircraft prove correct, then Russia's fleet losses will be very significant.
The Russian Tu-160 fleet is still in production. As early as 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense ordered 10 new Tu-160M2 bombers for 16 billion rubles, making it the most expensive aircraft in Russia. Considering purchasing power parity, this amounts to over $500 million per aircraft. However, the production rate is very low, averaging only one aircraft per year.
Russian Tu-95 fleet (green) and lost aircraft (red and gray).
Despite suffering heavy blows, external predictions suggest that the Russian military will continue its air strikes. Bloomberg commented that after Ukraine attacked Russian airbases yesterday, it will not change the course of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the number of Russian attacks on Ukraine will not significantly decrease. Kremlin insiders said that Russia only needs a few bombers to carry out such attacks.
Nevertheless, "The War Zone" website noted that after experiencing such significant losses, the sortie rate of the Russian Tu-95 fleet will decrease in the future.
This article is an exclusive contribution by the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7511576452605739547/
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