Russia moves 40 Tu-22M3 bombers to Olenya base — Analysts reveal why

Satellite images published on X by the aviation-focused account AviVector indicate that as of May 26, 2025, the following aircraft were stationed at Olenya airfield:

• 40 Tu-22M3 bombers

• 11 Tu-95MS bombers - roughly 20% of Russia's entire fleet of this type

• 5 An-12 transport aircraft

According to analysts, the presence of 40 Tu-22M3 bombers at Olenya on May 26 sharply contrasts with mid-May satellite data showing that Russia had concentrated 42 such aircraft at the Belaya airbase in Siberia.

"And all this despite the fact that Russia's Aerospace Forces have a total of only up to 60 Tu-22M3 bombers," Defense Express emphasized.

According to them, this means that over the past two weeks, Russia moved as many as 40 of their missile carriers back from the Belaya airbase to Olenya, which appears somewhat paradoxical.

"Because at present, if Russia is using the Tu-22M3 for strikes against Ukraine, it is doing so in a very limited way, especially compared to 2023 and 2024," the analysts explained.

They also pointed out that out of the 11 Tu-95MS bombers stationed at Olenya as of May 26, only three were used in the missile strike against Ukraine that day. In their view, this may indicate a limited number of combat-ready aircraft within Russia's strategic aviation fleet, despite its overall size.

What's happening at Engels airbase

Defense Express noted that there is also important data on the Engels airbase, with satellite images provided by the AviVector team. According to the images, as of May 25, the following aircraft were simultaneously present at the base:

• six Tu-95MS bombers

• three Tu-160 bombers

• four Su-34 bombers

However, by May 26, 2025, only three Tu-95MS, three Tu-160s, and two Su-34s remained at the airbase.

At the same time, it is reported that after the new massive missile strike on Ukraine on May 26, 2025, seven Tu-95MS bombers landed at the Engels airbase, while another aircraft of the same type flew to the Olenya airfield, analysts noted.

Russian aviation maneuvers

Defense Express noted that these specific maneuvers suggest Russia is deliberately relocating its bombers between various airfields regularly to confuse the intelligence services of Ukraine and partner countries.

"In particular, to make it harder to detect the exact moment of a combat takeoff for a new missile strike on Ukraine. The Russians are going for such maneuvers even at the cost of overspending the limited resource of flight hours for the Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, and Tu-16 aircraft," the analysts concluded.

Strikes on Ukraine

On the night of May 25, Russia launched one of its largest air attacks on Ukraine, firing hundreds of drones and nearly 70 missiles.

Explosions were reported in several regions across the country during the assault, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Konotop, Sumy, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia region.

RBC-Ukraine collected all the details about the combined Russian air attack on the night of May 25 in a separate material.

Meanwhile, on May 26, Russia carried out its third consecutive overnight attack on Ukraine. Around 4:00 a.m., monitoring channels warned of a potential strike using Kh-101/555 missiles launched from Tu-95MS strategic bombers.

Later, Ukraine's Air Force confirmed that the Russian forces had launched missiles from aircraft.

Key details of the large-scale drone and missile attack on the night of May 26 can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.