Strana 24
Russian Losses
During the period under review, the Russian
Air Force also suffered losses of the aviation
equipment—losses that were at least as
numerous as those suffered by Ukraine.
The first Russian loss occurred on Monday,
June 15, when a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber
crashed near the Angara River close to the
town of Svirsk in Russia‘s Irkutsk Region. The
aircraft most likely belonged to the 200th
Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment based
at Belaya Air Base, approximately 25 km
(16 miles) from the crash site.
According to preliminary reports, one of
the aircraft‘s engines failed during a training
flight. The crew successfully ejected before
the bomber plunged almost vertically into
the ground and was destroyed by fire. All four
crew members survived without injury.
Since April 2024, this marks the fourth
Tu-22 lost in an accident. The intensive wartime
use of the aircraft, reduced maintenance
standards, and increased wear and tear have
all contributed to these losses. Combined
with the Tu-22s destroyed during Ukraine‘s
Operation Spiderweb exactly one year earlier,
this likely leaves the Russian Air Force with
fewer than ten bombers of this type still
operational.
On Tuesday, June 23, Ukrainian drones
attacked three Russian Orion long-range
combat drones at Kerch Airfield in occupied
Crimea. At least one Orion drone was confirmed
destroyed, while the fate of the other two has
not been confirmed.
Between Sunday, June 14, and Monday, June
29, Hvardiiske (Gvardeyskoye) Air Base in
Crimea was struck several times. Satellite
imagery recorded multiple fires at the base.
At least three concrete aircraft shelters were
hit, and one of them appears to have sustained
severe damage. However, it is unknown what
equipment was inside the shelters.
It is known, however, that during the night
of June 25–26, a Russian MiG-29 fighter was
struck by a Ukrainian drone at Belbek Air
Base in Crimea. It was most likely a MiG-29K
belonging to Russian Naval Aviation.
A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was also hit while
on the ground. The attack reportedly occurred
sometime in June at a forward operating
airfield near the front line, although footage of
the strike was not released until several days
later.
Finally, it is worth mentioning a Russian Mi-2
helicopter that crashed on Wednesday, June
24, in the Kuban region near Ukraine. In this
case, it was a civilian helicopter that crashed
while conducting agricultural work.
Fuel Crisis
During the period under review, Ukrainian
attacks against Russia‘s oil infrastructure
intensified. At the same time, Ukraine
expanded its campaign against Russian
logistics supplying occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian drones targeted trucks traveling
along the land corridor to the occupied
peninsula, attacked ferries in the Sea of Azov,
and destroyed bridges on both roads and
railways leading to Crimea.
These attacks created serious supply
problems on the peninsula and forced
restrictions on fuel sales. At gas stations,
motorists queued for several kilometers in an
attempt to obtain increasingly scarce gasoline.
The campaign against Russian logistics
had already begun at the end of 2025, and
the following figures illustrate its growing
intensity:
January: 4,021 Russian vehicles destroyed in
occupied Ukrainian territory
February: 4,071
March: 6,068
April: 6,431
May: 8,612
June: more than 10,000 vehicles destroyed
These are Ukrainian figures, which cannot be
independently verified. Nevertheless, analysts
working with publicly available imagery have
also documented a sharply increasing trend in
Russian vehicle losses over recent months.
Russia, of course, could not ignore these
attacks. Russian forces began escorting
military transport vehicles with mobile fire
support groups, typically consisting of vehicles
equipped with machine guns intended to shoot
down drones.
The tactic proved ineffective. Ukrainian
drone operators not only began destroying
these escort vehicles as well, but the presence
of an armed escort also signaled that a convoy
The crash of the Russian Tu-22M3 bomber,
which went down on June 15. 7
A Ukrainian strike on Russian Orion drones on June 23.
A Ukrainian drone struck a Russian MiG-29K during
the night of June 25–26.
Attack on a Russian Mi-8 helicopter at a forward
operating air base.
Long queues begin forming at gas stations
across Russia.
AIR WAR IN UKRAINE
INFO Eduard24
August 2026