Strana 27
In total:
8 Tu-95MS strategic bombers destroyed
1 An-12 transport destroyed
7–12 Tu-22M3 medium bombers damaged
or destroyed
2 A-50 AWACS hit (both decommissioned)
The Tu-22M3s and A-50s were of
limited value, as they hadn’t been used
in Ukraine for over a year. Not so the
Tu-95MS bombers, which were fully fueled
and armed with Kh-101 cruise missiles—
likely preparing for a strike that evening.
Ukraine struck first.
Austrian military expert Tom Cooper
identified several of the destroyed
bombers by serial and tail numbers:
At Olenya: RF-94132 "Voronezh", RF-
94127 "Vorkuta", RF-94257 "Chelyabinsk",
and either RF-94121 "Samara" or RF-94131.
At Belaya: RF-94120 "Kozak".
Ripple Effects
SBU later released footage and details
about Operation Cobweb, which Russia
would likely have uncovered through its
own investigation anyway—this added
psychological pressure.
In the aftermath, Russian authorities
began stopping and searching all trucks
for drones, causing long lines, traffic
delays, and secondary economic damage.
Strategic bombers were relocated even
further from the front. Tu-160s appeared
at the Anadyr base in Chukotka—6,770
km from Ukraine. Other Tu-95MS and
Tu-22M3s were moved to the Far East,
some to Kamchatka. Attacks from there
would require 23-hour flight missions to
Ukraine and back.
New protective measures against small
drones were hurriedly installed at dozens
of airbases closer to the front—typically
makeshift wire mesh cages. However,
base personnel complained on Telegram
that they were ordered to build these
themselves and at their own expense.
Maxar satellite images of destroyed Tu-95MS bombers at Olenya.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard
27
August 2025