Ukraine has resumed targeting Russian fuel infrastructure after a months-long pause, hitting the Engels oil depot used by strategic bombers, involved in last night’s deadly missile strikes against Ukraine, while drone attacks continued across other military airfields and industrial defense sites in at least six Russian oblasts overnight on 6 June.

Engels fuel depot set ablaze again as Ukraine resumes strikes on oil facilities

Overnight on 6 June, Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack on the Kristall oil depot in the city of Engels, Saratov Oblast, situated more than 600 km from Ukraine. The site supplies fuel to the Engels-2 air base, home to Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers used by Russia to fire cruise missiles on Ukraine.

The attack triggered a massive fire. Telegram channels, including Russian Astra and Ukrainian sources, published videos showing at least three fuel tanks on fire, with large flames and thick smoke rising from the site.

According to Astra, the strike was carried out using drones and caused a fire at the industrial fuel storage facility. NASA’s FIRMS wildfire detection satellites identified thermal anomalies at the facility.

Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin confirmed a fire had broken out at “one of the industrial enterprises in Engels” following a drone strike but did not identify the specific site. Social media users shared additional footage showing the scale of the blaze.

The Engels depot itself had previously been targeted twice in January 2025.

• The first attack, on 8 January, destroyed three fuel tanks of 120,000 cubic meters each and damaged six more, resulting in the loss of an estimated 800,000 tons of fuel.
• A second drone strike occurred on 14 January, while the fire from the first attack was still burning. 

UK intel: Ukraine’s Engels-2 airbase strike marks 2025’s most successful ammo depot attack yet

Explosions and fires at multiple Russian airbases and military areas

Explosions and fires were reported overnight across various Russian locations hosting airfields or military infrastructure, though specific confirmed damage varied by site.

• Bryansk Oblast: Explosions were heard near the airport in Bryansk around midnight. Videos shared on social media captured a large blast, similar to an explosion of surface-to-air missiles, and of secondary blasts following the initial impacts. Astra reported the area was targeted by Ukraine’s defense forces.

• Ryazan Oblast: Local residents reported drone activity and fires in the Dyagilevo district, home to the Dyagilevo air base. A separate fire was also reported in the vicinity of the village of Podvyazye after what was described as a drone attack.

• Tambov Oblast: Telegram channel Supernova+ shared footage from Michurinsk and reported that drones struck the Progress plant there, which manufactures equipment for aircraft and missile control systems, as well as for gas and oil pipeline infrastructure. According to Exilenova, the strike hit the central workshop, leading to a roof collapse. Images showed fire damage and signs of electronic warfare systems operating at the time of the strike.

• Moscow Oblast: Readers of Astra from Naro-Fominsk reported explosions. Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsia imposed temporary flight restrictions at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky (Ramenskoye) airports “to ensure civilian flight safety.” Those restrictions were later lifted. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that six drones targeting the Russian capital were destroyed. He later claimed that an additional three drones aimed at the Moscow region were also intercepted.

• Kaluga Oblast: The oblast’s governor stated that five drones were shot down near the border of Obninsk and Borovsky Raion. One drone’s debris fell on a roadway, damaging four vehicles. No serious injuries were reported among the passengers.

Unconfirmed rail sabotage: train derailment in Belgorod 

In Belgorod Oblast, a reserve locomotive derailed in Prokhorovsky Raion. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed the likely cause was the detonation of an explosive device planted under the tracks. No casualties occurred. Train traffic was delayed by approximately 2.5 hours, but all services have since resumed. Track repair work began shortly after the incident. There is no confirmation that this was not an incident.

Ukraine launched overnight drone strikes on Russian military infrastructure and Russian-occupied power facilities, including an airfield in Rostov Oblast and energy infrastructure in occupied parts of southern Ukraine, leading to damage and power outages.

Millerovo air base targeted in drone attack

In the early hours of 5 June, explosions were reported across Russia’s Rostov Oblast, adjacent to eastern Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. According to Russian news Telegram channel Astra, local residents claimed that a military airfield in Millerovo came under drone attack. Acting governor of Rostov Oblast Yuriy Slyusar later confirmed that drones were active in the Millerovo district, though he did not explicitly confirm an attack on the airfield.

He stated that debris from the downed drones allegedly caused damage in the village of Sulin, hit structures on two properties on Dachna Street. One house ostensibly had a partially destroyed roof, while another suffered broken windows and torn electric wiring. He added that “No civilians were injured according to emergency services on the ground. The military continues to repel the enemy’s attack. Information is being clarified.”

Occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts suffer blackouts

In a separate development, Russian-installed “Kherson Oblast governor” Vladimir Saldo claimed that more than 120,000 people in Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast were left without electricity and water after a strike on a main transformer substation.

The hit allegedly occurred at 23:10 and resulted in a total blackout for 192 settlements across seven “municipal districts” – a term not used in Ukraine’s territorial structure – including Henichesk, Novotroitske, and Velyka Lepetykha.

Occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast reportedly also experienced blackouts. Head of the Russian occupation administration in the region, Yevgeny Balitsky, blamed Ukrainian forces for shelling the area, stating that “no fewer than five explosions were recorded over Melitopol,” along with an attempted strike on a power substation. Power outages were reported in parts of Melitopol, Prymorsk, Enerhodar, and Akimivka.

These planes aren’t just expensive — they can’t be replaced. On 1 June, Ukraine launched a devastating operation, Spiderweb, against four Russian airbases, destroying and damaging over 40 aircraft, including key strategic bombers with AI-powered FPV-drones, Channel 24 reports. 

According to Oleh Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defense Express, the losses amount to billions of dollars, and Russia has no way to replace them. 

“A strategic bomber costs an astronomical amount. Its value isn’t even measured in money, especially for Russia. To illustrate, a modern strategic bomber costs over a billion dollars per unit, simply because so few are produced,” says Katkov.

Among the lost aircraft, the Tu-160 supersonic missile carriers, developed during the Soviet era, are especially valuable. Katkov notes that Russia has only about 18 of them left, and not a single one was built from scratch after the Soviet Union collapsed.

The situation is even worse with the Tu-95 bombers — Russia no longer produces them at all.

“The only partial replacement they can attempt is to take a Soviet airframe and try to assemble a ‘new’ aircraft around it. But there’s nothing truly new in their inventory,” Katkov explains.

Thus, the strikes on Russia’s strategic aviation don’t just weaken its military power — they expose a deep crisis in the country’s defense-industrial complex.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that the coordination center of the Security Service of Ukraine’s operation Spiderweb on Russian territory was located directly next to one of the FSB’s regional offices. 

As a result of the operation, A-50 radar planes, Tu-95, and Tu-22M3 bombers were struck. The estimated value of the destroyed bombers exceeds $7 billion. 

He added that 117 drones were used in the operation, each operated by a separate team.

Some Ukrainians and Westerners alike have dubbed the 1 June audacious attack on Russian strategic bombers the “Trojan truck” operation, referencing the disguised long-haul vehicles that delivered drones straight close to Russia’s strategic airbases. The destroyed Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers have been used to bomb Ukraine since 2022.

Many Russians called it their “Pearl Harbor.” However, unlike Japan’s unprovoked attack on the US naval base in 1941, Ukraine hit back at bombers responsible for missile strikes on civilian cities.

Ukraine says 41 Russian bombers destroyed in record-range drone strike using disguised trucks

According to the SBU and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s most far-reaching drone strike to date destroyed 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers at their home airfields.

Breaking: Russian strategic bombers ablaze en masse under SBU drone attack (video)

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) sources said earlier today that the operation destroyed “over 40” Russian military aircraft across multiple airbases. 

So far, seven aircraft have been visually confirmed destroyed, according to Ukrainian OSINT sources, with upcoming satellite imagery expected to verify additional damage.

Zelenskyy: “Absolutely brilliant” op planned inside Russia, right next to FSB

In a Telegram post and national video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the operation as “absolutely brilliant” and “unique.” He said planning lasted one year, six months, and nine days, and that Ukrainian operatives had been safely extracted from Russian territory before launch.

“Our people operated on the territory of various Russian regions — across three time zones. On the eve of the operation, our personnel were withdrawn from Russian territory, and those who assisted us are now safe,” Zelenskyy said.

He revealed that the strike was coordinated from inside Russia, “right next to an FSB office” in one of the oblasts. Zelenskyy praised SBU chief General Vasyl Maliuk for leading the mission and said it would go into history books. He instructed the SBU to publish available public details.

117 drones reportedly used, 34% of missile-carrying bombers hit in Operation Web

The SBU named the mission Operation Spiderweb (Pavutyna) and confirmed it was executed across three Russian time zones. The operation used 117 drones to target strategic bombers capable of launching cruise missiles, according to Zelenskyy.

SBU states that 34% of Russia’s strategic missile-carrying aviation was damaged or destroyed. The value of affected aircraft was estimated at $7 billion. In a defiant message, the agency quoted Ukrainian author Lina Kostenko:

“Did you think Ukraine would be that easy? Ukraine is something extraordinary. Ukraine is one of a kind. It has been run over by every steamroller of history. It has endured every kind of trial. It is tempered by the highest forge. ”

Confirmed losses: at least 8 aircraft destroyed at Olenya and Belaya

Open-source intelligence analysts confirmed the destruction of eight Russian aircraft as of 18:00:

• 5 Tu-95MS strategic bombers
• 2 Tu-22M3 bombers
• 1 An-12 transport aircraft

Destruction was confirmed at two airbases — Belaya in Irkutsk Oblast and Olenya in Murmansk Oblast — via available combat footage and satellite imagery. OSINT Dnipro reported fires in areas where additional aircraft, including Tu-160s, were parked, suggesting the final number may rise. The channel dismissed rumors of 40 destroyed planes as “nonsense” but said 10+ is likely.

In any case, the satellite images will settle the final score.

Belaya airbase: at least three bombers destroyed in Irkutsk Oblast

OSINT analysis confirmed that two Tu-22M3 and one Tu-95MS bombers were destroyed during the Ukrainian attack. Fires were observed at parking areas used by additional aircraft.

Olenya airbase: at least four aircraft destroyed in Murmansk Oblast

The Olenya airbase, located on the Kola Peninsula, hosts strategic bombers from several regiments under the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Division.

Confirmed destruction includes three Tu-95MS bombers and one An-12 transport aircraft. The base may have also housed Tu-160 and additional Tu-22M3 aircraft at the time of the strike.

Trojan trucks and AI-trained drones

Footage and OSINT confirmed that Ukraine used long-haul trucks and trailers to secretly deliver drones near Russian airfields. Once in position, the trucks served as launch platforms, releasing FPV drones at close range to evade Russian long- and medium-range air defenses.

In Irkutsk and Murmansk oblasts, videos showed drones launched from trucks, followed by self-destruction of the vehicles by fire.

Telegram channel Clash Report also stated that AI targeting systems were trained using real aircraft at the Poltava Museum of Long-Range and Strategic Aviation, which displays Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers — the same models targeted in the operation. 

Drones assembled inside Russia: Chelyabinsk warehouse geolocated

Ukrainian Telegram channels analyzed photos related to the operation that surfaced earlier today — including images showing drone containers — and identified a warehouse facility inside Russia that matched the visuals. The facility was geolocated to a warehouse in Chelyabinsk Oblast, at 28A Sverdlovsky Trakt, reportedly rented by the company Dan-Invest. The facility is located near the Kazakhstan border, which may have served as a supply route for components.

This supports President Zelenskyy’s claim that drones and launchers were assembled on Russian territory. 

Failed strike attempt in Amur Oblast caught on video

In Russia’s Far East, a drone strike attempt near the Ukrainka airbase in Amur Oblast failed. Video shows a truck on fire, followed by an explosion when a man tries to open the trailer.

The vehicle is believed to have been another disguised launcher that failed to reach its intended point.

Four airbases were reportedly targeted in drone operation

On 1 June, Russian authorities reported drone attacks in four oblasts. Ukrainian intelligence sources told Suspilne that the SBU coordinated a multi-target operation against Russian long-range aviation at:

• Belaya (Irkutsk Oblast)
• Olenya (Murmansk Oblast)
• Dyagilevo (Ryazan Oblast)
• Ivanovo airbase (Ivanovo Oblast)

Sources claimed over 40 aircraft were hit, including A-50 early warning planes, Tu-95MS, and Tu-22M3 bombers. Also, a fire was reported at an airbase in Voskresensk, Moscow Oblast.

As of now, independently confirmed destruction is limited to Olenya and Belaya, with additional data expected from satellite review.

Update:

Russia downplays the Ukrainian air assault

Russia’s Defense Ministry called the Ukrainian attack on purely military facilities, hosting hardware used against Ukraine, a “terrorist act.“

The Ministry claimed that all drone attacks on airfields in Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur oblasts were successfully “repelled.” However, it admitted that fires broke out at airbases in Murmansk and Irkutsk after FPV drones were launched from areas “in direct proximity” to the sites, and “several units of aircraft equipment caught fire.”

MoD insisted the fires were quickly extinguished and there were no casualties. It also announced that “some participants in the terror attacks” had been ostensibly detained.

Ukraine strikes Russian strategic bomber airbases in Murmansk and Irkutsk Oblasts with kamikaze drones, targeting aircraft about 2,000 and over 4,000 km from the frontline. Footage from the sites shows massive fires and burning aircraft. The operation has been conducted by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), according to unofficial reports.

Drone attacks in Olenya and Belaya airbases

Ukrainian FPV kamikaze drones attacked strategic bomber airbases deep within Russian territory, according to reports by Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels. The strikes targeted the Olenya airbase in Murmansk Oblast—approximately 2,000 km north of Ukraine—and the Belaya airbase in Irkutsk Oblast, located 4,300 km to the east. 

Residents near Belaya reportedly captured footage of FPV drones hitting the airfield, followed by multiple explosions. The Olenya airbase was also struck, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts from Cyberboroshno identified the location in videos showing destroyed strategic bombers.

One of the videos, published by multiple Telegram channels, shows drone footage of fires at Belaya airbase, with voice-over commentary by SBU head Vasyl Maliuk, confirming the strike.

FPV drones were delivered to both bases by motor vehicles

In Irkutsk, Supernova+ reported that a long-haul truck stopped near the Belaya airbase and began launching FPV drones from its trailer, which then targeted parked aircraft and facilities on-site.

Similar accounts emerged from Murmansk Oblast. In one video, the narrator states:

“A long-haul truck arrived in Olenegorsk, the driver is running around frantically, FPV drones are flying out of his truck. The traffic police have just arrested him. He says, ‘I was told to come here, that someone would meet me. The drones are flying out one after another.’“

Visual evidence, allegedly from this attack indicated it was not a truck but a van towing a trailer in Murmansk Oblast. Later, it turned out that the images of the van were old.

Damage to aircraft and confirmed targets

According to analysis of the available video materials, at least four Tu-95 strategic bombers—used by Russia to conduct missile strikes on Ukrainian territory—were reportedly destroyed at Olenya airbase, Militarnyi says.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ published multiple videos from both Murmansk and Irkutsk Oblasts, claiming there were at least 10 explosions at Olenya.

Another channel, Exilenova+, posted footage of Tu-95MS bombers engulfed in flames at Olenegorsk, Murmansk Oblast.

Russian Migalovo airbase hit by kamikaze drones, reports confirm (video)

First drone strike in Irkutsk Oblast

This marks the first time Irkutsk Oblast has been attacked by drones since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

Russian site Meduza says the drones were reportedly spotted in the Usolsky district, with settlements such as Sredniy and Novomaltinsk coming under attack. The Belaya military airfield in this area houses Tu-22M3 bombers.

SBU operation “Web” targets Russian bombers

Ukrainian publication Babel, citing sources within the SBU, reported that the strikes were part of a planned special operation dubbed “Pautyna” (“Web”), carried out on 1 June.

Babel’s report added that the FPV drones were deployed to target aircraft involved in bombing Ukrainian cities and towns. The damages from this operation are estimated to exceed $2 billion, according to the source. 

Read the follow-up:

“Trojan truck attack”: Ukraine used AI-trained FPV drones launched from trucks to destroy “34%” of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet in a day