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| Russia Gathers 2 Dozen Tu-95 and Tu-160 Bombers |
Moscow - Russia has amassed about two dozen nuclear-capable bombers and cruise missiles at Engels-2 airport. Analysts suspect a major attack on Ukraine is imminent.
Satellite imagery provided by US-based company Maxar Technologies shows a massive buildup of Russian bombers at Engels-2 airport, which is located about 700 km (435 miles) from the Ukrainian border. About two dozen nuclear capable bombers include the Tu-95 and Tu-160. The two types of aircraft have become Russia's mainstay for carrying out cruise missile attacks.
Aktuelle Satellitenbilder zeigen ungewöhnlich viel Bewegung auf einem wichtigen russischen Militärflughafen. Experten sehen »Engels-2« in erhöhter Alarmbereitschaft – und warnen vor einem neuen schweren Luftangriff auf die Ukraine. https://t.co/fxoPHTJMTP
— DER SPIEGEL (@derspiegel) November 30, 2022
Analysts said the number of planes on the runway was unusual and could indicate a threatening attack. "The unusually high number of bombers on the runway is an indication of increased operations, if not an imminent large-scale strike," military analyst Arda Mevlutoglu told German media; Spiegel, reported by The Mirror, Friday (2/12/2022).
Alongside the long-range bombers were a number of fuel tankers and ammunition boxes. There are also a number of wheel loaders used to transport the X-55 and X-101 cruise missiles which have a range of 2,500 km and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Russia has been using cruise missiles to attack Ukrainian targets from Russian soil putting their launchers out of reach of Ukraine's anti-aircraft defense systems. Fears of a full-scale attack were raised after a report analyzing Russia's embarrassing performance since the start of the war last week in February.
vAt one of the main Russian military airfields, "Engels-2" near Saratov, there is unusual traffic. The aviation there is in combat readiness. Most likely, Russia is preparing for a new massive attack on Ukraine. This is evidenced by satellite images from Maxar and Planet Labs.. pic.twitter.com/p1gs6N88kk
— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) December 1, 2022
The Ukrainian army has reportedly been repeatedly fooling President Vladimir Putin's troops to waste valuable resources since February. On one occasion, Ukrainian troops printed a large image of an airplane hangar being blown up onto large sheets to disguise their airbase.
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) analysis claims that Russian forces have also been duped into wasting their priceless ammunition on fake targets, including the US-made HIMARS rocket launcher. They also have a bad habit of taking themselves out of battle with incidents of friendly fire.
Russian troops have navigated their surroundings using outdated military maps and targets, making it easy for the Ukrainian army to deceive them. On one occasion, The Times reported, Kiev forces printed a picture of the destroyed air base hangar onto a large sheet and covered it over their fighter jets as camouflage.
Russian bombers looking down from the sky would see that the target was taken care of and move on. Confused as to how the Ukrainian pilots managed to fly with their hangars destroyed, the Russians wondered if they had moved their planes underground to a complicated underground air base.
The report claims there are a number of reasons for Russia's poor performance, including problems with top-down orders and troops making the same mistakes over and over again. But, the report continues, friendly fire incidents have become one of the biggest problems for the Kremlin since the invasion began.