A recent surprise Ukrainian drone attack targeted several Russian air bases housing nuclear-capable strategic bombers, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. This unprecedented attack reached as far as Siberia, posing a heavy blow to the Russian military. Ukraine reported that over 40 bombers—approximately one-third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet—were damaged or destroyed on Sunday, although Russian authorities countered that only several planes had been impacted. These conflicting claims could not be independently verified, and videos shared on social media only captured a few bombers being hit.
The boldness of the strikes demonstrated Ukraine's capability to target high-value assets deep within Russia, inflicting what analysts describe as a substantial humiliation on the Kremlin and significant losses to Moscow's military resources. While some military bloggers in Russia drew comparisons to the infamous Pearl Harbor attack by Japan in 1941, others dismissed the analogy, arguing that the actual damage inflicted by the Ukrainian attack was markedly less than what was claimed.
Russia’s strategic bomber assets consist of several types of warplanes, including the Tupolev Tu-95, which NATO codenamed ‘Bear’. This four-engine turboprop aircraft was designed in the 1950s to compete with the U.S. B-52 bomber, featuring an intercontinental range and the ability to carry eight long-range cruise missiles equipped with either conventional or nuclear warheads. Before Sunday, Russia was estimated to possess around 60 of these aircraft.
Another key asset is the Tupolev Tu-22M, known as ‘Backfire’ by NATO, which was designed in the 1970s. This twin-engine supersonic bomber is capable of carrying Kh-22 cruise missiles that travel at speeds exceeding three times that of sound. The plane was initially conceived to target U.S. aircraft carriers and is noted for its ability to carry a substantial payload, although its outdated guidance systems can lead to inaccuracies against ground targets. Prior to the drone strikes, approximately 50 to 60 Tu-22M3s were in service.
Additionally, Russia operates the supersonic Tu-160, with fewer than 20 currently in service. Production of both the Tu-95 and Tu-22M halted after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, meaning any losses sustained in the recent attacks cannot be easily replaced. Douglas Barrie from the International Institute for Strategic Studies remarked that this significant loss of bomber capacity happened with “no immediate ability to replace it". He further suggested that the situation might accelerate the development of next-generation strategic bombers within the Russian military, a program that is still in its early stages.
The A-50, an early warning and control aircraft akin to the U.S. AWACS, was also reported to be impacted during the drone strikes. With only a few in service with the Russian military, any loss substantially detracts from Russia's military capabilities.
Repeated Ukrainian attacks on the Engels air base—the principal base for Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers located near the Volga River city of Saratov—have led Moscow to relocate some bombers to bases further from the frontline. One such relocation occurred to the Olenya base on the Arctic Kola Peninsula, launching missions against Ukraine. Analysts believe several bombers at Olenya were hit during the Ukrainian drone attacks, alongside targets at the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia.
Ukraine announced that 41 aircraft—including Tu-95s, Tu-22Ms, and A-50s—were damaged or destroyed in a strike that had been under planning for 18 months. These attacks involved swarms of drones that were released from containers on trucks positioned near multiple air bases. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that the sophistication of the attack represented a new level of capability that Washington had not witnessed before.
The Russian Defense Ministry described the strikes as setting several aircraft ablaze at air bases in the Irkutsk region and the Murmansk region, claiming that the fires were ultimately controlled. They also indicated that Ukraine had attempted to strike additional bases in western Russia, as well as one in the Amur region of Russia's Far East, but those attempts were reportedly repelled.
The drone strikes have incited backlash from Russian military bloggers who criticized the Defense Ministry for failing to implement adequate protection measures for the bombers. Despite previous strikes, the military's failure to improve defenses—such as building proper shelters or hangars for the large aircraft—has drawn ridicule. Satellite imagery has shown Tu-95s covered with layers of old tires as an ineffective protective measure, leading to mockery on social media.
