Russia Hides Tu-160s Near US Border After Ukraine Destroys a Third of Their Bombers

Russia has redeployed a Tu-160 strategic bomber to one of its most remote airbases in Anadyr, located in the Chukotka region near the Bering Sea, according to Defense Express on June 5.

Satellite imagery taken on June 4 by ESA’s Sentinel program shows a large aircraft at the Anadyr (also known as Ugolny) airfield, identifiable as a Tu-160 due to its distinctive blended fuselage and wingspan of over 55 meters.

This marks the first recent appearance of a Tu-160 at the Anadyr airbase, according to Defense Express, which reports the bomber was relocated there after Ukraine’s June 1 Operation “Spiderweb“—a coordinated drone strike that damaged or destroyed dozens of Russian strategic aircraft across multiple airfields.

Located more than 6,600 kilometers from Ukraine and only about 500 kilometers from the US border, the Anadyr base had not hosted strategic bombers in recent months. Archived satellite images show the absence of such aircraft there prior to the transfer.

The choice of this location appears to be driven by logistical isolation rather than geographic distance. While long-range drones used in Ukrainian operations are remotely piloted and capable of reaching targets thousands of kilometers away, ground transport remains a critical element of such operations.

Anadyr, which lacks permanent road access, is reachable only by aircraft or limited seasonal maritime routes. Despite a Russian road-building initiative launched in 2012, only 230 kilometers of the planned 2,300-kilometer Kolymа-Anadyr highway have been completed as of late 2024.

The practical use of Anadyr as a staging point for strikes on Ukraine is unlikely. Historical data shows limited operational use of Tu-160s for such missions, with only three recorded strike dates: May 26, 2025; November 17, 2024; and May 18, 2023.

While the base is positioned within strategic proximity to the United States, it is not clear whether its use reflects a broader shift in Russian military posture or a short-term effort to safeguard high-value assets from further attacks.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Security Service carried out Operation Spiderweb, a coordinated FPV drone strike that destroyed or damaged 41 Russian military aircraft, including a third of its strategic bombers.

According to Defense Express, the losses—estimated at over $7 billion—may take Russia decades to recover from, as the country has not produced new strategic bombers since the 1990s and relies on aging Soviet-era fleets.

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