Ukraine War: Strikes At Air Bases: Ukraine Destroys Russia's 'Asymmetric Advantage'

This article first appeared on NTV.

Ukraine War: Strikes At Air Bases: Ukraine Destroys Russia's 'Asymmetric Advantage'

This article first appeared on NTV.de

The attacks on two Russian military airports could mean a turning point in the Ukraine war. While there is no official confirmation from Kyiv, there are strong indications that Ukraine demonstrated for the first time on Monday its long-range strike capabilities in the heart of Russia. Until then, the military superpower Russia could operate almost undisturbed on its own territory and arm its bomber fleet for ever new attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

But that seems to have changed now. The two Russian military airports "Djagiljevo" in the Ryazan region and "Engels" in the Saratov region came under fire for the first time. According to the Ukrainian account, Russian long-range Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers with cruise missiles on board regularly take off from them in the direction of Ukraine.

Two aircraft are said to have been slightly damaged in the attacks. However, it is difficult to estimate how serious the damage to the Russian bomber fleet actually is. Radio Liberty journalist Mark Krutov tweeted satellite footage showing burn marks and firefighting foam next to a Tu-95 after the Engels airport attack. Another shot is said to show the damaged tail of a bomber at the "Djagilyevo" airport, another a burned-out tanker - the vehicle explosion also included the three fatalities reported by Moscow.

"Engels" is also a Russian air base of the Strategic Nuclear Forces. The name of the airport, which sounds unusual for Russia, comes from the nearby city of Engels, which in turn is named after the German philosopher and communist revolutionary Friedrich Engels. The city was once the administrative seat of the short-lived autonomous Volga-German Republic - until its dissolution and deportation of the ethnic German residents in 1941. What kind of weapons could Ukraine have used against the airports? Moscow announced that these were "reactive Soviet-made drones". However, Kyiv itself has not officially confirmed the attacks. However, the usually well-informed Ukrainian military magazine "Defense Express" had already speculated at the end of November that Ukraine could convert Soviet Tu-143 and Tu-141 "glider" reconnaissance drones into cruise missiles.

Already in the spring there was an incident over the Balkans with a possibly Ukrainian Tu-141: On March 10, one of these reconnaissance drones crashed in Croatia. Previously, she allegedly started in Ukraine and had crossed Romania and Hungary - like Croatia, both NATO countries. What we know about the Tu-141 drone: It is almost 15 meters long and weighs a good six tons. It is usually launched from a mobile ramp, then follows a pre-programmed route and finally lands by parachute. It is also said to have a range of up to 1000 kilometers, which means that the airfields in Russia are within range of Ukraine. The Tu-143 drone, on the other hand, only flies up to 200 kilometers. It is conceivable that the Ukraine converted the Tu-141 into a kamikaze drone and equipped it with explosives instead of observation technology.

If so, how was this drone able to bypass Russian anti-aircraft defenses and fly to targets accurately? According to Moscow, the drones flew at low altitude and were finally shot down over the airfields – the only damage was due to the crash and explosion of the debris. At least one of the attacks during navigation was carried out with the help of special forces near the base, reports the New York Times, citing a Ukrainian government official who wishes to remain anonymous. According to him, the missiles were actually launched from Ukrainian territory.

If so, it would fit the picture: the Ukrainian military has repeatedly succeeded in surprising opponents and the world public with technical ingenuity. Another example of this is the combined drone attack by sea and air at the end of October on the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in Crimea. Several Russian frigates were damaged. Among other things, Ukraine allegedly used drone boats it had developed itself.

Drones may also have played a role in the attack on the Russian military airport at Saki in Crimea in early August. In September, however, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valeriy Zalushnyi wrote that the attack had been carried out with rockets. The sinking of the guided missile cruiser "Moskva" in April by two Ukrainian Neptun anti-ship missiles had already demonstrated the country's technological capabilities.

But what do the attacks on the airfields "Engels" and "Djagiljevo" mean for the further course of the war? If Ukraine is indeed capable of shelling targets in most of European Russia, Moscow's "asymmetric advantage" would be in jeopardy, Luke Harding, author of Invasion, commented in a Guardian article. Because Russia would then no longer be able to launch cruise missiles from a safe distance from its own territory undisturbed.

The attacks on the airports could also play into the hands of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's war plans, ntv correspondent Rainer Munz, who reports from Moscow, suspects: "They could help more Russian citizens to position themselves pro-war in the future." Most recently, polls had suggested that support for the war among the Russian population had recently fallen significantly.

As a first reaction to the attacks, Putin himself convened his country's Security Council. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the authorities would take "necessary" measures to protect the country from Ukrainian attacks.

Watch the video: Russia reporter Rainer Munz reports from Moscow and explains how the Ukrainian attacks on Russian airports in the country are being handled.

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