Soltsy airbase, home to Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers, was hit by a drone strike yesterday.

Images of black smoking billowing from the base further solidified those reports, showing a Tu-22M3 engulfed in flames at the base.

The images first appeared on Telegram and have since made their way onto other social media platforms.

Russian MoD has said one unspecified aircraft was damaged due to a drone attack, stating the following on its Telegram channel:

“At around 10:00 Moscow time today, the Kiev regime carried out a terrorist attack using a copter type UAV against a military airfield in Novgorod region.Ā The UAV was detected by the airfield’s observation outpost and was hit with small arms fire.

As a result of the terrorist attack, a fire broke out in the airfield parking lot, which was promptly extinguished by firefighting teams. One airplane was damaged; there were no casualties as a result of the terrorist act.”

 

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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82 COMMENTS

        • Didnt you see all those videos in the early days of troops in upper floors of apartment buildings firing missiles at Russian tanks below, or the shopping centre car park with military trucks- and next door the tank maintenance centre.
          I bet you dismissed UK and USA military destruction of civilian targets in Iraq and Afghanistan as just agit-prop from Islamists or is any war brutal and involve civilians

          • Silly little person clearly a Putin lover, and delusional if you believe defending your homeland from an invading army is a terrorist act.

          • Exactly . And defend it from apart blocks, shopping centres and various civilian buildings and even keyboard warriors from their living room

          • Yes and little trolls like you, who havenā€™t experienced anything except in a video game, go away now you little Russian Pratt we are bored with your pathetic tripe.

          • Yes – hitting an apartment block 500 miles behind the front line is justified because Russian tanks will be driving past in the morning.

            Hmmm.

          • There’s a difference between targeting civilian buildings containing defending troops and targeting non military occupied civilian buildings miles from the front line just for the vindictiveness of it. Anyone who isn’t Russian knows the difference between the two…

            Our militaries have hit civilians too, the difference being it was not intentional. Mistakes unfortunately happen. They are mistakes though, not a deliberate strategy of terror.

          • He isnā€™t worth it mate, a typical Russian troll, they always pop up and try and defend the actions of a tyrant, I pity him if he really believes the bile he comes out with. Silly little person.

          • Sad little person arenā€™t you, I bet you live with your mum and sit in the dark in the spare room. Just south of Moscow.

          • No one said Putin’s forces attacked or destroyed all residential targets.
            If Putin was attacking my country, I would fight back from every possible vantage point, damaged or not.

          • Obligations on defenders too to limit defense in civilian areas
            ‘Article 58 requires parties, ā€œto the maximum extent feasible,ā€ to remove civilians and civilian objects from the vicinity of military objectives, to avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas, and to take other necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects from the dangers resulting from military operations.’

            of course the greater obligation on the attacker

      • Except as they were the innocent party who was attacked and invaded, in their case they are correct. I suppose you could call those brave guys on the Bridge in London terrorists if you like for attacking a man with a weapon who had killed two people already, but in reality we all know who the real terrorist was in that incident as in Ukraine.

  3. itā€™s just bad practice for the pilot to leave airplanes in the parking lot. I bet he takes the blue badge spot aswell.
    Oh well easy solution to end it all, Russia pulls back to the motherland, war ends instantly, everybodyā€™s home for tea and medals.

    • That is looking more and more likely. Ukraine is pushing forward, slowly but steadily and at the same time Russia surged a big force to the north and achieved almost nothing. It’s feeling like it’s fame over for Russia, although autumn is coming and with it rain and mud, and that will slow things down to the spring.

      • Seems like the Russians are pinning all their hopes onto their favourite presidentā€¦. Thatā€™s Trump not Putin of course, one has to be realistic about their chances of salvaging something from all this mess the latter got them into.

        • True. Nobody will be going home for tea before the results of the US elections are known. However, I’m not optimistic even after that. Putin believes that no matter who wins in the US, support from the West will fade before Russia’s determination gives out and he will be able to regain territory, creating “facts on the ground”.

          I fear we may have to be thinking in terms of years rather than over by Christmas.

          • It’s a concern. Especially as the NATO secretary generals chief of staff was recorded saying that there would have to be a negotiated peace whereby Ukraine concedes sovereignty over it’s captured territories for a negotiated peace.
            That’s a big concern as if NATO has not seen the Ukrainian war through to the end and has not given Ukraine what it needs to win the war it will be seen as feckless unreliable, weak and lacking in the moral fibre to stand upto Russia.
            Putin will think all he has to do is apply some pressure over a prolonged period of time and NATO will fold.

          • Not really, this war has nothing to do with NATO. Sooner or later Ukraine will either win back its land or hit stalemate, the later is looking more and more realistic and NATO is offering security through membership if that happens and Ukraine wants peace. It would be nieve on the west not to start talking about it, if they think Ukraine can’t win all out. Not doing so would be abandoning Ukraine to an endless war.

          • It has nothing to do with NATO, I would say it has everything to do with NATO.A war of aggression against a democratic nation on the boarder of NATO..is an existential threat. Any peace negotiation is Ukraines prerogative and if the west is seen in any way to force the issue by reducing or ending aid it would be essentially a catastrophic blow to western hegemony and that is not a good thing.

          • Whats it got to do with nato. Nato is fundamentally about defending it’s members, none of them are involved. Not saying it’s not of international interest, but nato is a treaty organisation with very defined remit.

            The idea nato has is if Ukraine gets to a point of wanting peace, they compromise with Russia that Russia takes the occupied land at that point and Ukraine joins nato preventing Russia from regrouping and trying again in the future. For Ukraine joining nato is a must for their long term security.

          • Yes unfortunately the west is more and more being seen as a weak partnerā€¦reality does not necessarily matter in geopolitics..perception is kingā€¦it does not matter how strong you are if that strength is not seen and the perception is you are weekā€¦the retreat from Afghanistan was a low moment and unless the west keeps supporting Ukraine in the way itā€™s doing to the very end it will see its influence hit againā€¦the west pulling the rug out from Ukraine would seem to me to be the first steps in the road the Chinese hegemony ( if we cannot even secure our ownā€¦a European democracy..then what use is the west as a partner ? That question will be asked).

          • Seen as a weak partner by whom? Certainly not Russia who for all is bluster must be fully aware that they are losing the war due to western support and hardware. Nothing has really united western countries more and even Asian and African countries than supplying Ukraine with hardware.

            No doubts China has had second thoughts about Taiwan, as I doubt anyone expected the level of support that the west has given Ukraine to happen. I personally thought the west would be too scared about starting ww3, but luckily they took the gamble and it paid off.

          • Africa, South America, Indiaā€¦all those places that have the resources and markets that the west and china/Russia are competing for and trying to influenceā€¦Russia and china are doing better than the West..itā€™s not the US flag or any European one thatā€™s celebrated in many of these nations itā€™s Russias. Itā€™s unfortunately hubris to think that just because we think Russia is weak wrong..other none western nations will think the sameā€¦.

          • It’s not about thinking Russia is strong its about anti western and specifically anti US mentality and Russia being there to cash in. Too much history of the british/French empires interfering against the interests of the locals and more recently big US companies. It will swing back over time as Russia is there for the same reason, their own self interests and that won’t end well for the locals either.

          • The question is how much support is there left to give.

            What does the various countries have left in their storage to handover. The big one will be the f16s, but I doubt they will make a massive difference as Russian Air defences seem to be doing a reasonable job at least against bigger targets and realistically the training levels are not going to be there as there isn’t the time. I also doubt that large numbers are going to be supplied.

            Russia is still building new military gear but the west isn’t really, so will run out sooner or later and with the US real focus being on China they won’t want to hollow out their war stocks too far.

            Europe must be close to running out of stuff to give, as war stocks were low to start with, and that leaves the US, which will also eventually hit the same point or at least a point where they need to stop to maintain their own reserves.

          • We have plenty more to give if we gear up for it. This war is switching to a longer timescale, and it doesn’t have to come out of stocks, it can be built. You are right, the West isn’t gearing up in the same way as Russia, but there are a lot of contributing economies and we all can gear up a bit.

            If we won’t do that because our politicians can’t see that now is a pivotal time, it’s going to be very difficult to support Ukraine properly.

          • Be in no doubt NATO could give much much more, it’s a difficult calculation donating hardware to Ukraine now Vs waiting for replacement hardware ordered. The problem for the UK is there doesn’t seem to be any sense of urgency or rearmament going on. Unlike Poland.
            You’d have thought an invasion of a democratic country bordering 4 NATO member states would have constituted a situation where the UK government thought about upping force levels by 10-15% at least. Instead we’ve actually continued the slow decline of defence cuts. It’s quite maddening really.

          • Where would the money come from to rearm, we are broke as an nation. Have you not seen the state of all our public services or even just driven down a road recently with its potholes, caused by massive national debt, next to zero growth and sky high inflation, plus plumpting exports in real value. Our economy might be the worst of any g7 nation, none are doing amazing.

        • They would be very stupid if they were. Even if Trump got in, he won’t support them. He personally might be in putins pocket but the nation as a whole is very anti Russia, there isn’t a hope he could get anything through Congress. Just look at Boris, very pro Russian (was considered a national security threat because of it) but his a populist like trump, and does whatever is the easiest option in the moment, rather than having hard and fast beliefs. It’s about ego for them rather than ideology.

  5. F16s enabled with air refueling platform will ensure the Russians fly only deep inside their territory. Black sea and other oceans where they launch their terror missiles will be a no go area.

    • Seems early New Year now with a small number of pilots already having a brief intro on them and training even on Gripens which was out of the blues. So as Denmark has agreed to supply around 20 may see them active any time after that hopefully. I wonder what long range weapons will come with them. AMRAAM I wonder, if so what effect might that have in suppressing Russian aircraft and indeed helicopters, I wonder. Must surely make them think twice about being too exposed.

    • only problem being russia has longer range aa missles than the us does….. shame they didn’t integrate meteor on the f16…..

    • I donā€™t think we will see air to air refuelling with aircraft anytime soon.
      The aircraft will still need to stay low and away from SAM bubbles.
      First I think we will see the aircraft being used to intercept incoming cruise missiles.
      Aircraft versus aircraft fights are unlikely to start with as Russia doesnā€™t fly far into Ukraine. Perhaps cruise missiles, glide bombs if possible to launch safely.
      Ukraineā€™s current aircraft can still play a part In offensive attacks while the F16s should be kept back to hit the incoming missiles and drones.

  6. Interesting that one of these bombers was apparently parked in the Car Park. Fiendishly clever these Ruskies in trying, if failing to hide them from the Ukranians.

    • It’s an important strike as it eats away at Russia’s strategic forces the TU22-M is a considerable threat to maritime assets so reducing their active, serviceable fleet by 1 or possibly 2 aircraft is important.
      Best estimates are the Ruskfascist airforce after this strike is likely down to 55-57 serviceable aircraft of this type.

      • It will hopefully force Russia to base the aircraft further away. Longer flight times give more time to get prepared for incoming missiles.

        • The rest of these bombers moved to the Kola Peninsula after the attack, but thereā€™s reports on another attack today on another TU 22 base.

  7. Thatā€™s the second big hit by these type of drones this week, I assume they may be something new and it seems very effective, being less easily detected no doubt than the more traditional aerofoil types, but where are they being launched from I wonder, range is usually their big disadvantage.

    • 400+miles to the nearest part of Ukraine. So yes, impressive unless UKR SF sneak closer & drop smaller charges from back pack drones.

      • You think UKR SF forces sneaking three quarters of the way to Finland and using backpack drones isn’t impressive? Impresses the heck out of me.

  10. 400+ miles north of Ukraine. That’s some reach through Russian air defences. One less TU22M to carpet bomb Syrian “Rebels”.

    • Hopefully they can take out some more of these aircraft. Wonder if they’re able to usr “sleeper” type drones that come alive later on? Would be good for Ukraine to take out some Russian docked ships and subs in Crimea and on the Asov if they’ve got enough range. Drones are really making everything and everyone vulnerable.

  11. Maybe it’s time for the government to invest in the UK drone industry. Let’s send 50,000 cheap, UK-built drones to Ukraine and kick-start a UK civilian drone industry at the same time. We badly need a Western counterpoint to DJI.

    • Hit the button on the head. I have been involed in the civillian drone industry and I am very concened about companies like DJI and its chinese backers. Sadley yet again the industry was a follow on from the radio controlled flyers who built from off the shelf parts re purposed. These days some of them even build up to 1/3 real size. I have seen a jet powered Vulcan that in the sky looks like the real thing. Change the body shape etc etc all buyilt in fred dibnah way but they work. A commercial /military industry UK built and designed is badley need and would be sucessful.

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