Russia Ukraine War Latest News Today: In a major setback for Russian air defence, a drone strike by Ukraine reportedly destroyed a supersonic bomber at an airbase near St Petersburg. A BBC report said that the photo of a plane on fire has been doing the rounds on social media, which is said to be that of Russia’s Tupolev Tu-22 nuclear bomber.
Though Kremlin has confirmed the attack, it has not given the details of the damages to the supersonic bomber. Kyiv has not commented on the drone strike so far. Earlier today, Moscow mayor confirmed of air defence shooting down two drones near Russian capital. Ukraine has been very vocal on use of the UAVs. Previously, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had spoken about bringing the war closer to Moscow. The plane destroyed in the drone strike can travel at twice the speed of sound. The Tu-22 bomber has been widely used by the Russian forces in their attacks on Ukrainian towns.
Flights were halted at three of Moscow’s busiest airports, but the two largest international airports, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo, reopened later. The damaged Russian Tu-22 bomber can fly at twice the speed of sound and has been employed repeatedly by Russia to attack Ukrainian cities.
Images provided on the social media site Telegram, on the other hand, showed a massive fire consuming a plane with the Tu-22’s distinctive nose cone. BBC Verify examined the photographs and determined that they were credible.
While the loss of a single aircraft has limited impact on Moscow’s existing 60-strong fleet, the operation demonstrates Kyiv’s growing capacity to strike targets deep within Russian territory.
The Tu-22 is a swing-wing supersonic bomber from the Cold War era that NATO called “Backfire” and regularly used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. According to prosecutors in Kyiv, 30 people were killed in January when a Tu-22-launched missile struck a Dnipro apartment tower.
The plane wreckage seen in the video are consistent with a Tu-22M3. BBC Verify studied historical satellite imagery and discovered that such planes were stationed at the spot. The incident was also reported in Russian media, however there was no damage.