Militarnyi reported that following Ukraine’s operation Spiderweb that targeted Russian strategic bombers at five bases, Russia was forced to redeploy key elements of its strategic aviation fleet to airbases in the Far East, complicating its ability to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian territory.

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According to OSINT sources, including the Tracking Telegram channel, two Tu-160 bombers previously based at Belaya airbase were relocated to the Anadyr airfield. An additional five Tu-160s were moved to Yelizovo airbase. These facilities are located 6,770 km and 7,250 km from Ukraine respectively.

Meanwhile, Tu-22M3 bombers based at Olenya are periodically transferred to Sovetsky airfield in the Komi Republic, approximately 2,400 km from Ukrainian borders. Tu-95MS aircraft now operate between Olenya, Engels-2, and Ukrainka airbases.

For launching Kh-101 cruise missiles, Tu-95MS bombers stationed at Ukrainka must fly at least 7,000 km to reach launch areas near Saratov Oblast, and then return another 5,400 km. This creates a 12,400 km mission round trip, lasting up to 23 hours in the air.

Operational impact and aviation strain

Russia’s dispersal of its strategic bombers aims to reduce vulnerability by spreading aircraft across remote airbases. However, this has introduced significant complications, including excessive flight time, accelerated wear of aging airframes, heightened crew fatigue, and increased maintenance costs, Militarnyi notes. The added distance also increases the likelihood of technical failure or human error, raising the risk of crashes.

The strain on Russian aviation logistics could in the long run reduce the frequency of air-launched cruise missile strikes on Ukraine.

SBU’s Operation Pavutyna

On 1 June 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched Operation Pavutyna (“Spiderweb”), a large-scale special operation targeting Russia’s strategic bombers. The targets included Belaya, Ivanovo, Ukrainka, Olenya, and Dyagilevo airbases.

Militarnyi says preliminary assessments indicate that at least 8 Tu-95MS (or Tu-95MSM), 12 Tu-22M3, 2 A-50 early warning aircraft, 1 An-12 transport plane, and possibly 1 Il-78M tanker were hit by Ukrainian drone strikes.

Russia’s Tu-160 bomber use in missile attack last night proves Tu-95 shortage after operation Spiderweb, Militarnyi says

Though a full set of satellite images has not yet been published. Notably, the strike on one Tu-95MS seen in satellite imagery is not included in the videos.

“In addition, the video footage released by the SBU is incomplete: it does not show the damage to one of the Tu-95MS aircraft, which is visible in satellite images,” Militarnyi wrote.

Russia has reportedly lost a MiG-31 carrier of hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. On the night of 9 June, Ukraine carried out a precise strike on the Savasleyka airfield in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

The Savasleyka airfield has been frequently used to organize strikes against Ukrainian territory.

Therefore, destroying these aircraft is a serious blow to Russia’s ability to conduct missile attacks with hypersonic weapons.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as a result of the operation, at least two Russian aircraft were hit, most likely MiG-31 and Su-30/34 jets. Information is being updated and clarified.

Ukrainian military officials emphasize that such operations are part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the enemy’s capacity to carry out air attacks on Ukraine.

The General Staff states that strikes on targets enabling Russian aggression will continue until the war is completely stopped.

Aircraft thundered over Finland’s forests as soldiers stormed an airstrip. Amid threats from Russia, the country held joint drills with Poland in which NATO allies simulated both an attack and a defense of an airfield, based on the example of Russia’s failed 2022 operation in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast, Business Insider reports. 

The drills Northern Forest Saber involved airdropping a red team, consisting of Polish airborne forces and Finnish units, onto a runway in a forest. Their objective was to capture and hold the airfield to enable the arrival of reinforcements and heavy weapons.

At the same time, the blue team, composed exclusively of Finnish troops, had to repel the assault and retake control of the site.

Finland, which lacks its own airborne forces, gained invaluable experience through cooperation with its Polish counterparts. Colonel Matti Honko of the Finnish army acknowledged: “You need to suppress air defenses and secure air superiority. Before you can do that, there’s a lot you must be capable of.”

Polish Brigadier General Michał Strzelecki added that airborne operations are even more complex today than in the past but remain critical in the early phases of war: “Rapid deployment of troops through airborne operations can be decisive.”

NATO openly acknowledges that such training incorporates lessons from the war in Ukraine.

Despite Russia’s plan’s failure, NATO allies, especially those bordering Russia, are determined not to repeat the enemy’s mistakes and are preparing today for potential scenarios of aggression.