Ukraine's military intelligence has claimed that two Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were damaged in an explosion at the Olenya airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast.
Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, told Radio Liberty that the explosion occurred above the aircraft's location.
"I can report that two Tu-22M3 aircraft were damaged. The specific tail numbers are Aircraft No. 33 and No. 31. Aircraft No. 33 has punctures in the upper part of the fuselage. Aircraft No. 31 also has certain damages," Yusov said.
According to Yusov, repairing these aircraft could take Russia several months. He also said that the air raid alert system at the airfield did not activate during the attack.
Yusov provided more details about the timing of the incident, stating it occurred on 25 July 2024 at approximately 3:47 pm. This information was reportedly verified before being released.
When questioned about satellite images that reportedly showed no signs of a Ukrainian strike on the strategic air base, Yusov responded that satellite imagery is "not the only source of information to rely on." He emphasized that the information about the incident has been confirmed from various sources.
The Ukrainian intelligence representative neither confirmed nor denied Ukraine's involvement in the attack. However, on 28 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indirectly mentioned the strike on the Olenya airfield in a video address, praising the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Security Service of Ukraine for their long-range capabilities.
This incident is part of a series of attacks on Russian military airfields since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. One of the most notable strikes occurred on 5 December 2022, when drones targeted the Engels-2 strategic military airfield, damaging several Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers.
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