Russian forces at Engels airfield "upgrade" strategic bombers with car tires

This was reported by the OSINT project Tatarigami_UA on Twitter.

"The Russian forces have once again demonstrated unprecedented innovation. You are looking at a satellite image of a Tu-95 strategic bomber covered with car tires," the statement reads.

According to the same Russians, the rubber tires are reportedly meant to protect the Soviet missile carrier from drones.

"It seems that this is not an isolated case. On these satellite images, it seems that the Russians are still installing tires on the bomber - a fresh, low-cost version of ERA (explosive reactive armor - ed.) that is replacing the Russian air force?" the post reads.

The Russian Federation uses Tu-95 strategic aviation aircraft to shell Ukrainian cities with X-101 cruise missiles.

For reference. The Engels airfield is a Russian military airbase where Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers are based. It is one of the largest and most important air bases in Russia, which is part of its nuclear triad. The airfield is located near the city of Engels, Saratov region, 700 km from the Ukrainian border.

• As a reminder, explosions occurred at the airfield of the Russian city of Engels, Saratov region, on the night of December 26, 2022. Russian occupiers reported three dead Russian servicemen. The next day, Air Force Command spokesman Yuriy Ignat said that after the explosions at the airfield, the Russian forces redeployed a part of their aviation from Engels to Saratov region of the Russian Federation.