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Russia’s Lipetsk Air Base Sees Growing Number of Decommissioned Military Jets
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Open-source satellite imagery has shown close to 100 Russian military aircraft parked at a storage site in the Lipetsk airfield, including Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-35S fighters, according to Militarnyi on February 16.
Militarnyi said the concentration of aircraft underscored the scale of Russia’s tactical aviation fleet tied to the Lipetsk complex, which has been linked in Ukrainian statements to aircraft used in strikes on Ukraine, including Su-34s and Su-35s.
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The number of Su-34 and Su-35 jets visible in satellite images matters because the two types play complementary roles in Russia’s air campaign. Su-34s are Russia’s primary frontline strike aircraft for launching guided munitions, including glide bombs, while Su-35S fighters are used for air cover, patrols, and escort missions that help protect strike packages and contest Ukrainian aircraft.
Militarnyi has previously reported that Russia deployed about 70 Su-34 bombers for the war against Ukraine, making losses, damage, or prolonged maintenance periods for even small numbers of the type operationally significant.
The Lipetsk region’s air facilities have drawn repeated attention since Ukraine said it hit a Russian military airfield there in August 2024, triggering multiple detonations and damaging a warehouse holding about 700 guided bombs, in a strike Kyiv said was intended to reduce Russia’s ability to conduct air attacks.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian forces struck the Lipetsk-2 military airfield, hitting munitions storage that included a depot of guided aerial bombs and affecting aircraft based there.
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