On December 5, the Russian forces launched another missile attack on our civilian infrastructure and cities. Ukrainian air defense has traditionally worked perfectly and with high efficiency. More than 60 missiles out of 70 launched by the Russian forces were destroyed. The aggressor uses the already familiar tactics of destroying our infrastructure and tries to influence our resilience and resistance. The logic is quite clear, as is its futility. Therefore, such actions of Russia are not new to us at all.
On the morning of December 5, it was reported that an unknown drone attacked the runway of the Engels airfield in the Saratov region. The explosion was so powerful that it could be heard several kilometers from the airport.
According to some reports, two Tu-95MS strategic bombers were damaged at the airfield by the explosion. I want to remind you that the Russians have 60 such bombers, and more than 20 are in combat-ready condition. It is these 20 Tu-95MS that are actively used for missile launches on Ukrainian territory.
Separately, it is also worth noting that Engels airport is the base for two aviation regiments of Russian military aircraft.
Subsequently, it was reported that explosions also occurred at the Dyagilevo air base. This airport is also used for rocket attacks on infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. According to the official version, a fuel tanker exploded there.
Engels and Dyagilevo air bases are the only military airports in Russia that provide full service to bombers attacking Ukraine. That is why they are essential for the Russian army.
In both cases, we are talking about military facilities that are located at a distance of more than 600 km from the state border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not seem to have such long-range weapons of destruction. However, there is one "but."
On August 9, near Novofedorivka in the occupied Crimea, Russian planes were destroyed. Then the distance from the front to this Russian airbase was more than 200 km. Later, the military leadership of Ukraine recognized that these strikes on military bases in Crimea were the work of our defense forces. Many experts and Western media, citing a Ukrainian source, reported that the strike on Saki was carried out by Soviet weapons but modified already during the Russian-Ukrainian war. It is too early to discuss what exactly is being discussed. Still, the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to reach military targets at great depths of the territory of Russia is very symbolic and significant.
Tu-95 strategic bomber (illustrative photo)
An expert on military and civil aviation Valeriy Romanenko said that Russian media are already saying that the Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the Engels airport in the Saratov region with a Strizh operational and strategic drone. This is an unmanned aerial vehicle of the 2nd generation, with a flight range of up to 1000 km. However, as the expert noted, if it was "Strizh," it should have been redesigned. Because this drone was created for reconnaissance purposes.
Operational-tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle Tu-141 "Strizh" (illustrative photo)
Valeriy Romanenko also noted that "Strizh" is quite realistic to adapt and redo for other purposes. According to the expert, the drone was produced at the Kharkiv production aviation association, and the engine was manufactured at the Zaporizhzhia plant, now called Motor Sich. All drawings, documentation, and parts for it are made in Ukraine. According to Romanenko, our specialists could have to redo this drone into barraging ammunition or a kamikaze drone.