Ukraine carried out its deepest strikes inside Russian territory to date in an apparent bid to disrupt the Kremlin’s bombing campaign against energy infrastructure.
Three people were killed and six injured on Monday after a fuel tanker exploded at the Dyagilevo airfield near the city of Ryazan, southeast of Moscow, Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Unofficial Russian social media channels reported that four aircraft were also damaged.
A separate blast struck the Engels-1 airbase near Saratov, 460 miles southeast of Moscow, at 5am. Two Tu-95 strategic bombers were damaged and two people wounded.
Dyagilevo is about 330 miles from the Ukrainian border. The base at Saratove is 430 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Airbases used by Kremlin’s strategic bombers
The airbases are both used by Tu95 and Tu160 strategic bombers that fire the air-launched missiles used in Russia’s bombing campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The attacks are the first known attempt to hit the bombers at their bases and the deepest strikes on air fields inside Russia since the war began.
Ukraine’s ministry of defence did not immediately comment on the strikes and it was not immediately clear how they were carried out.
Security camera footage from Saratov captured the sound of an engine passing overhead, followed by the flash of a large explosion and a subsequent loud blast.
Geolocation of the footage using the time between the explosion and the sound of the explosion suggests the blast occurred on a part of the airbase where satelite photos show bomber aircraft are kept.
Ukraine ‘finalising development’ on new long-range weapon
Last month Ukroboronprom, Ukraine’s state-owned arms giant, said it was “finalising development” on a new weapon that could fly 1000 kilometres (621 miles) and carry a 75 kilogram warhead.
It is widely believed to be a drone or loitering munition. It is not known to have entered service, however.
Some Russian propaganda channels speculated that the strikes may have been carried out by shorter range drones launched from inside Russian territory by Ukrainian special forces cells.
Russian strategic bombers launched another wave of strikes on Ukrainian powerstations and other installations later that afternoon.
Ukrainian air defence said 12 heavy bombers including Tu-95 fred around 50 missiles.
Explosions were reported in or near Odessa, Zaporizhzhia, and Vinnytsia as well as in the Kyiv and Cherkassy regions. It was not immediately clear how many missiles were intercepted.
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