Ukrainian Army's Stunning Raid! Two Major Russian Strategic Air Force Bases Suffer Heavy Damage, Losses Exceed $2 Billion
On June 1, the Ukrainian Army launched one of its strongest counterattacks since the start of the war. The Russian military's Olenya Air Force Base in the northwestern Murmansk region and the Belaya military airport in central Irkutsk were subjected to large-scale drone attacks by the Ukrainian Army. Both locations are core bases for Russian strategic bombers.
Ukrainian media reports that the attack resulted in over 40 Russian military aircraft catching fire, with A-50 early warning aircraft, Tu-95MS, and Tu-22M3 suffering significant damage, leading to losses exceeding $2 billion. Footage from the scene shows that the drone strikes were precise, directly hitting the bombers' critical areas.
The Olenya base is about 1,800 kilometers from Ukraine and previously housed over one-third of the Russian strategic bombers; the Belaya base is home to main aircraft types such as the Tu-95MS, with Ukrainian drones launching attacks after traveling 4,000 kilometers.
The Ukrainian Army smuggled drones into Russian territory via truck drivers, taking advantage of lax border inspections and weak air defense at the two bases, resulting in the Russian military paying a heavy price for its negligence and overconfidence.
