Ukraine's Intelligence Chief says Russia has only 27 strategic bombers at its disposal

Ukraine’s latest operations targeting Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers have undermined Russia’s ability to launch Kh-22 missiles on Ukraine.

Source: Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, in an interview with Radio Svoboda

Details: Budanov said that a total of 436 aircraft were involved in Russia’s operations against Ukraine.

Quote from Budanov: "That’s a lot. But if you ask me how many Tu-22s there are among them, there are very few. They only had around 31 serviceable Tu-22s, now they have 29, including two that are undergoing repairs. So 27. There aren’t that many [Tu-22 bombers] that carry out flights."

Details: Budanov added that two aircraft were totally destroyed and two were damaged during Ukrainian operations at two Russian airfields: Soltsy (in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) and Shaykovka (in Kaluga Oblast).

Budanov noted that Russia will eventually repair the two damaged aircraft, which "has to be taken into account".

He added that the Ukrainian intelligence knows who was behind the attacks on the Russian airfields.

"These were people who have carried out certain tasks on the territory of the Russian Federation," he said.

Background:

• A kamikaze drone crashed at the Shaikovka airfield in the Kirov district, Kaluga Oblast, Russia, on the morning of 21 August. Early reports suggested a plane that was not in use was damaged. Kaluga Oblast Governor said Russian forces repelled a drone strike in the Kirov district, that there were no casualties, and that no damage to infrastructure facilities was done.
• On the morning of 19 August, drones attacked a military airfield in Novgorod Oblast, Russian Federation, with drones, damaging at least one aircraft.
• Media reported that Ukraine was for the first time able to completely destroy a Russian long-range strategic bomber in the Novgorod Oblast drone attack.
• A source in defence intelligence told Ukrainska Pravda that two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were completely destroyed, and two other aircraft were damaged as a result of the attacks on the Soltsy and Shaikovka airfields.

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