Ukraine hits Russian airfield in Siberia in first confirmed drone strike
Photo: Drones hit Siberia for the first time on June 1 (wikipedia.org)
Russia has confirmed the first drone attack on Siberia on June 1. The strike targeted the Belaya airfield, reports Russia's Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev.
"At the moment, it is known that it was a drone attack on a military unit in the village of Sredny. The first in Siberia. One drop was on an old building in Novomaltinsk," he wrote.
Kobzev also claimed the drones were allegedly launched from a truck, which he said had been "blocked."
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine published a video showing the Belaya airfield in flames. A voice on the recording is believed to be that of Vasyl Malyuk, Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The Belaya airfield is strategically important to Russia. It is not a long-range aviation base, but a key military airfield in the Irkutsk region. It hosts the 444th and 200th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiments, which operate Tu-22M3 aircraft, as well as the 181st Independent Composite Aviation Squadron with An-12 and An-30 planes.
Photo: Belaya airfield in Siberia (uk.wikipedia.org)
SBU strikes Russian airfields
On June 1, SBU drones launched a large-scale attack on Russian airfields. The operation, aimed at destroying enemy bombers deep behind the front lines, was code-named "Spiderweb."
According to RBC-Ukraine sources, more than 40 aircraft were hit. The list reportedly includes A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22M3 planes. Preliminary estimates suggest the strike inflicted over $2 billion in damage to Russia's air force.
The SBU reportedly hit four Russian military airfields in a single day. Aircraft were burning at Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo airfields.
Online sources also indicated that the drones that struck Olenya airfield in Russia's Murmansk region were launched from a truck parked at a gas station.
