UPD: The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, confirmed the information about the attack on Russian aviation, which resulted in 41 aircraft being hit, including strategic cruise missile carriers. According to Maliuk, this involves the defeat of more than a third — 34% — of strategic cruise missile carriers located at key airfields in Russia.
OSINT analyst Chris Biggers published the first satellite images of the "Belaya" airbase in the Irkutsk region after the attack by Ukrainian drones. According to the images, at least six aircraft were destroyed as a result of the attack on the base.
The footage shows three destroyed Tu-95s and another one that was damaged. The satellite also recorded the destruction of three more aircraft, which Biggers identified as possibly Tu-22M3.
Video footage from the "Olenya" airbase in the Murmansk region shows the destruction of four Tu-95s and one An-22, as well as the probable destruction of another Tu-95, believes OSINT analyst Intelschizo.
Earlier, according to other estimates, it was reported that five aircraft were hit: four Tu-95s and an An-12.
In total, at the moment, the destruction or damage of at least 13 aircraft has been confirmed, of which 11 are likely destroyed. Of these, 10 aircraft are Russian strategic aviation aircraft.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia has a total of 130 Tu-22s, 47 Tu-95s, and 16 Tu-160s. Thus, in one day, Russia's losses could amount to almost 8% of the entire fleet of Russian long-range aviation. Kyiv claims that several dozen aircraft are damaged, stating the loss of a third of all Russian strategic aviation, but there is no confirmation of this yet.
"Ukraine has rewritten the rules of war," believes The Washington Post columnist Max Boot. He compared the attack on Russian military airfields to Pearl Harbor, noting that the era of battleships ended then, and now — possibly, manned aviation.
"The Ukrainians have shown a vulnerability that should keep all the world's generals awake at night. If drones can penetrate airbases in such a closed country as Russia, then what prevents China from doing the same in the USA, Pakistan in India, or North Korea in South Korea?" writes Boot.
Recalling Trump's words about Zelensky having "no cards," Boot noted that Zelensky "just played his card — Ukrainian ingenuity."