Ukraine made the most impressive blow to Russia, Ukrainians intensify attacks on Russian bombers

The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence recently carried out probably the most impressive strike on Russian territory since the beginning of the full-scale war, attacking the Olenia airbase at a distance of almost 1,800 km.

According to Forbes, this raid was part of a Ukrainian intelligence operation that also attacked two other air bases and an oil refinery.

Using a growing arsenal of locally produced drones, the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence is stepping up its raids on Russian territory. The main targets are airbases and oil refineries, but drones also strike weapons factories and space objects.

This attack at a distance of more than 1,800 km at 480 km surpassed the previous record of Ukrainian drone operators. In May, a Ukrainian sports plane converted into a UAV attacked an oil refinery in Salavat, more than 1,200 km from the front line in Ukraine.

Modified sports aircraft may be the longest-range in Ukraine's arsenal, but the intelligence agency operates more than a dozen other types of drones.

This is one of several bases that regularly supports Tu-22M3 bombers. Russia uses about 63 Tu-22M3, 55 Tu-95 and 17 Tu-160 to attack Ukrainian cities with cruise missiles. Large-scale shelling makes it possible to overcome the Ukrainian air defense.

“Bombers usually fire their missiles from a distance of hundreds of kilometers, which is too far for most of the Ukrainian air defense to effectively shoot back. At the same time, a rare Ukrainian heavy surface-to-air missile S-200 could hit the onboard Tu-22M3 over the south of Russia in April," Forbes added.

It is not yet known whether some parked bombers touched down on Saturday's raid. This is always difficult to establish, as the Kremlin rarely acknowledges painful losses.

Information about this usually comes from outside observers who examine commercial satellite images for evidence of burned aircraft. So far, there are no images that would confirm the defeat of the Tu-22M3 at the northern base.

“What is clear is that the officers in Kyiv are not just supporting their attacks on Russia's powerful warplanes while they are parked and vulnerable - they are intensifying the attacks.

Russian bombers are not safe within a radius of 1,600 km from the front line," the newspaper concludes.