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Satellite Images Confirm 13 Russian Strategic Bombers Destroyed in Deep Ukrainian Drone Strike
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
New satellite imagery has confirmed the destruction or severe damage of at least 13 Russian military aircraft, including eight Tu-95 strategic bombers and four Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers, showing imagery analyzed and published by OSINT analyst Chris Biggersin on June 2.
The images show clear damage to aircraft stationed at Russia’s Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk region. Several of the bombers—marked “destroyed” or “likely destroyed”—are visible in satellite photos, which were captured using a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite.
This technology allows analysts to assess battlefield damage regardless of weather or daylight conditions.
According to Biggers’ analysis, four Tu-22M3 bombers, which cost approximately $100 million each, were confirmed destroyed at Belaya, including three housed in hardened aircraft shelters. The large debris fields captured in the images strongly suggest these bombers were damaged beyond repair.
“In addition to the four previously confirmed Tu-95s, four Tu-22M3 bombers were destroyed at Belaya. The scale of wreckage indicates these aircraft are total losses,” the report states.
Head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, confirmed the destruction of Russian warplanes, noting that “at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed and many more damaged.”
The June 1 strike, part of a Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) operation codenamed “Spider Web”, utilized 117 FPV drones to strike five key Russian airfields: Belaya, Olenya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo-Severny, and Voskresensk.
🔴 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main airfields of the Russia were hit as a result of today's operation, according to the Security Service of Ukraine.
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) June 1, 2025
The losses are estimated at approximately $7 billion. pic.twitter.com/Yf4RRmnWH7
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier confirmed the operation was Ukraine’s most long-range strike to date, targeting assets across three Russian time zones.
Olenya Air Base—located nearly 1,800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border—was also hit, with open-source intelligence confirming the destruction of four Tu-95 bombers and one An-12 transport aircraft.
In total, Ukrainian OSINT group Oko Gora assessed that the strike damaged or destroyed:
8 Tu-95 strategic bombers
4 Tu-22M3 bombers
1 An-12 military transport aircraft
These aircraft are core components of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, capable of carrying nuclear-capable Kh-101 cruise missiles and conducting long-range strikes deep into Ukrainian territory.
Notably, neither the Tu-95 nor the Tu-22M3 is currently in production, meaning their loss represents a major setback for Russia’s strategic aviation capabilities.
Despite Belaya Air Base being located over 4,400 kilometers from the front line, the SBU was reportedly able to position operational infrastructure close to Russian military assets. In a statement on June 1, President Zelenskyy revealed that the SBU’s covert “office” on Russian territory was next door to an FSB office.
Russian military bloggers have since attempted to geolocate the launch site of the drones based on footage released by Ukraine. They allege that drones were launched from a commercial rental container in Chelyabinsk, with the listed rental cost a mere 350,000 rubles per month (under $5,000 USD).
Earlier, reports emerged that Ukrainian forces trained artificial intelligence systems used in drone operations by studying Soviet-era bombers preserved in military museums—aircraft that mirror those now being struck deep inside Russian territory.
