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NATO: Ukrainian Strike on Russian Airfields Destroyed 34% of Missile Carrier Fleet
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
A senior NATO official has called the recent Security Service of Ukraine strike on Russian strategic aviation airfields one of the most successful operations carried out by Ukrainian forces to date.
This was reported by European Pravda on June 4.
Speaking to journalists in Brussels on condition of anonymity, the official said the Alliance independently assessed the damage and confirmed it aligns closely with Ukrainian reports.
“At least 40 aircraft were damaged, and between 10 and 13 were completely destroyed,” the official stated.
Among them, NATO identified 15 Tu-95 strategic bombers, 20 Tu-22 bombers, and at least one A-50 airborne early warning aircraft — a platform of which Russia possesses only a limited number.
According to NATO estimates, the strike eliminated roughly 34% of Russia’s fleet of missile-carrying aircraft.
“This operation has had a critical impact on Russia’s military capabilities,” the official emphasized.
While acknowledging that some of the damaged or destroyed aircraft may have been inactive or used for spare parts, the official noted that NATO does not differentiate based on operational status.
“We cannot confirm that all of them were fully operational. And while this strike does not eliminate Russia’s ability to conduct airstrikes, it significantly reduces its capacity to launch missile attacks — including the kind that, as Ukrainians know, often occur early in the morning,” he added.
The official also underscored a key strategic implication: the operation proved Ukraine’s ability to degrade Russian military assets deep inside Russian territory.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the attack on Russian aircraft could have been avoided if Russia had agreed to a ceasefire in advance.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
