Ukrainian strike disables two key Russian bombers, deepening conflict

The Ukrainian attack on the Olenya base in Russia, located about 1,800 kilometres from the front line, was more painful for the Russians than initially thought. It turned out that instead of one, as many as two strategic bombers Tu-22M3 were damaged. We explain why these machines pose a massive problem for Ukraine.

Ukrainians had previously attacked targets deep inside Russia. Initially, we had cases of strikes up to 1,000 kilometres, and then after crossing this barrier, Ukrainians attacked targets 1,200 kilometres away. For this reason, it was possible to assume that attacks on even more distant objects were a question of when, not if.

Originally, in the attack, one strategic bomber Tu-22M3 was supposed to be damaged, but the latest reports from Jusova, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, indicate a second damaged unit. Their repair will take Russia at least several months if not longer.

The strategic bombers Tu-22M3, which Russia had 60 units before the invasion of Ukraine, are among the key means of warfare. They enable Russians to attack Ukraine's critical infrastructure or literally raze the most powerful Ukrainian field fortifications to the ground.

For this reason, each destruction or serious damage even of a single unit is worth its weight in gold for Ukrainians. So far, Russian losses confirmed by photos included three planes, which, adding the two newest ones, makes five machines. Considering that perhaps only part of the fleet of 60 bombers was capable of flying (maybe even just half) the loss of two units is painful for Russians.

The Tu-22M3 is an upgraded version of the older Tu-22M models. Its huge advantage is the ability to carry up to 24,000 kilograms of armament. Their combat load includes, among others, Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, Kh-22 Raduga supersonic cruise missiles, 18 guided bombs FAB-500, and eight heavy bombs FAB-1500 weighing 1,500 kilograms each, allowing them to hit numerous targets in a single raid.

Additionally, Tu-22M3 bombers are distinguished not only by their ability to carry a huge load of armament but also by a high cruising speed of almost Mach 1.9 (about 2,300 kilometres per hour) and a large operational ceiling reaching approximately 13 kilometres. These features allow them to effectively bomb targets in Ukraine while remaining out of reach of most anti-aircraft systems.

The exception is only some medium-range systems, such as Patriot or SAMP/T, which Ukraine possesses very few of. It should be mentioned, however, that Ukrainians once shot down one of such bombers using an obsolete S-200 Vega system.

Another advantage of Tu-22M3 is their impressive operational range, reaching about 7,000 kilometres. This feature allows attacks from Russian territory, significantly complicating their neutralisation on the ground using drones compared to Su-34 tactical bombers, which must be located closer to the conflict zone. However, as recent experiences show, Tu-22M3 is threatened even almost 2,000 kilometres from the front line.