Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commended the 9th department of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) for their precision at a distance of almost 1800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. While Zelenskyy did not specify the exact operation, a Liga security source reported on 27 July a strike on Russia’s Olenya air base, located at approximately the same distance from Ukraine.
According to the Liga source, the operation conducted by HUR targeted several Russian military airfields, including Engels, Dyagilevo, and Olenya, hosting strategic bombers often used to attack Ukraine with cruise missiles. The source claimed that a Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber was damaged at the Olenya airbase. However, Ukrainian officials have not officially confirmed these strikes.
Media: Ukrainian drones strike Russian TU-22M3 bomber 1,800 km from front
The Tu-22M3, developed in the 1960s, is a supersonic long-range strategic bomber designed to attack sea and ground targets with guided missiles and aerial bombs.
The Olenya airbase is situated in Russia’s Murmansk Oblast within the Arctic Circle, about 1800 kilometers from Ukraine and approximately 150 kilometers from the Finnish border. This proximity to Finland has prompted a response from Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
In an interview with YLE, President Stubb commented on the reported Ukrainian drone strike near the Finnish eastern border. He emphasized that while the international situation remains tense, Finns should not be overly concerned about such incidents. Stubb stated,
“We need to get used to the fact that there is a war going on near our borders. And we need to get used to the fact that Ukraine will use all means to win this war.”
If confirmed, this will be the second kill of the Russian Tu-22M3. In April, videos shared by locals showed the crash of a burning Tu-22M3 in Russia’s Staropol Krai some 300 km from Ukraine. Later, HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov confirmed the successful downing of a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, marking the first such incident in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, and provided details of the operation, confirming the use of the Soviet-era S-200 surface-to-air missile.
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