Operation "Kiev in 3 Days" has been a failure for Vladimir Putin, unlike Operation "Cobweb" by Ukrainian services, during which dozens of military aircraft worth billions of dollars were destroyed.
According to Defense Express, citing satellite images, Russian forces have begun moving some of their surviving aircraft 6,600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border - all the way to Anadyr in Chukotka.
Military analysts say this is the maximum distance at which Russia can feel safe from an attack by Ukraine. A Tu-160 strategic bomber was spotted at a base near the city of Anadyr. It was identified by its 55.7-meter wingspan and the characteristic shape of the fuselage. In all likelihood, Moscow has begun to move other aircraft much further from the Ukrainian border.
Defense Express connects the appearance of the aircraft at this airbase directly with Ukrainian strikes on Russian strategic aviation airfields.
They note that at this airbase, the planes are protected from sabotage not so much by the maximum distance from Ukraine, but by the lack of roads that would connect the city of Anadyr with the rest of Russian territory. This means that a truck with Ukrainian drones simply will not get there (a tactic used in Operation “Cobweb“).
It is also worth noting that the Anadyr airbase is only 500 km from the US-Russia border. But it is now safer for the Kremlin to hide its planes closer to the United States than to Ukraine.
AFP writes that with the strikes on bombers in the heart of Russia on Sunday using ordinary drones, Ukraine has accomplished a feat that has become a serious blow to Moscow and could change the way military operations are conducted.
The protection of military airfields in Russia does not meet security requirements: it is possible to approach the airfield unnoticed and carry out a quick attack that leaves neither time nor means for defense, military experts believe.