Rattled Putin ‘hiding nuclear bombers’ after Ukraine drone onslaught

Rattled Putin ‘hiding nuclear bombers’ after Ukraine drone onslaught



by theipaper

4 comments

  1. Russia has dispersed nuclear-capable bombers to a remote airbase 400 miles from Alaska after a Ukrainian drone attack [wiped out part of its fleet.](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/ukraine-russia-drone-attack-nuclear-response-3726514?srsltid=AfmBOooMXjbt9cjB4dJVqVLkaEQDL1csgb5MbsrRS9dQvy5PYkbuJ3HC&ico=in-line_link)

    Satellite images shared with *The i Paper* by Planet Labs showed two Tupolev TU-160 planes at the Anadyr airbase in Russia’s far eastern Chukotka region, more than 4,000 miles from Ukraine’s frontlines.

    One long-range strategic bomber arrived at the base on 4 June from the Belaya airfield in the Irkutsk region, according to AviVector, an open-source intelligence (OSINT) project, which said planes had been dispersed to multiple locations.

    It comes after Ukraine’s audacious Operation Spider Web attack on four Russian military airbases on 1 June, which Kyiv says hit 41 military aircraft, including TU-95 and TU-22 strategic bombers as well as A-50 surveillance planes.

    German intelligence reported around 10 per cent of Russia’s long-range bomber fleet was damaged while the US estimated up to 20 warplanes were hit and 10 destroyed.

    # Russia moves bombers amid fear of drone attacks

    Justin Bronk, an senior research fellow for airpower at RUSI, said the satellite imagery from the Anadyr base may suggest Russia is increasing dispersal of its bomber fleet to protect it from future drone attacks.

    “You could read it as one bit of evidence for a broader pattern of making an effort to disperse their bombers more widely to reduce the danger of further attacks,” he told *The i Paper*.

    “It is also worth noting that, historically speaking, particularly the TU-95 do use a variety of bases around Russia in order to stage for global operations, especially in the Far East.

    “So it’s not necessarily unprecedented, per se, but it does certainly support the reports that Russia is increasing the dispersal of its bombers.”

    The Anadyr airfield is only accessible by air and seasonal maritime supply, making any attack harder.

    Following Spider Web, Russia reduced the number of bombers that were concentrated at its Engels-2 base, Bronk said.

  2. Russia’s strategic bombers are now protected by Krasnov.

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