Russia redeploys aircraft to airfields remote from Ukraine. It complicates plane service - British intelligence

This is reported by the military intelligence of the UK Ministry of Defence.

"On 5 and 26 December 2022, the LRA’s Engels air base was struck and several aircraft damaged. Russia has highly likely responded to the incidents by conducting a general dispersal of LRA aircraft, especially to airfields further away from Ukraine," the British intelligence report said.

The report recalled the statement of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov on December 27, 2022, that Russia had deployed Tu-95MS heavy bombers and Tu-22M3 medium bombers of long-range aviation to the Far East.

The British intelligence adds that long-range aircraft can still launch air-launched cruise missiles at Ukraine, as these weapons have a range of 5,000 km, in addition to the range of bombers.

"However, operating from dispersal locations will add additional maintenance stress and will further deplete the limited flying hours available on these aging aircraft," the review states.

• Explosions were heard at the airfield of the Russian city of Engels, Saratov region, on the night of December 26. Russia reported three dead Russian servicemen.

• On December 27, the spokesman for the Air Force Command Yuriy Ignat said that after the explosions at the Engels airfield, the Russians redeployed part of the aviation from the Engels airfield in the Saratov region of Russia, but the airport still remains operational.