Ukrainian Defense Forces have destroyed a Russian long-range supersonic Tu-22M3 bomber.
This was stated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, in an interview with LB.ua.
A Ukrainian drone hit the plane as it was just landing at the airfield. The cost of such a bomber is approximately $100 million. In early April, a Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation, killing one pilot. In Russia, the cause of the crash was called a technical malfunction. It is unknown whether Syrsky is referring to this particular incident.
According to Syrsky, Russian aviation is effectively blocked in Novorossiysk. Outside its borders, Russian military aircraft are under constant threat, although they sometimes resort to it.
Russia was forced to move its aircraft inland due to Ukrainian strikes on military airfields.
“If before it was at a distance of 100-150 km, now it is 200-300 km — Engels, Shaykovka,” the commander-in-chief noted.
He added that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are also targeting Russian air defense systems. Each such station costs tens of millions of dollars.
- In March, Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian Engels airfield, causing a fire and explosives to explode.
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