How much of the Russian fleet of strategic bombers neutralized Ukraine in the “spider's cloth” operation

The Ukrainian attack with drones made last Sunday on Russian aerodromes neutralized about 10% of the Russian TU-95 and TU-22 bombing fleet, and the early A-50 alert aircraft was hit, but the latter seems to have not been operational, a general of the German Army said on Saturday.

“According to our evaluation, more than a dozen aircraft have been damaged, TU-95 and TU-22 bombers, as well as A-50 supervisory aircraft,” German general Christian Freuding, who coordinates German military aid for Ukraine on a podcast. “As for the (Russian) long -range bombers fleet, 10% of it was damaged, according to our evaluation,” the general said.

This evaluation of the German army is close to that given by American sources, which estimated that up to 20 Russian military aircraft were hit, for about half were destroyed. Both estimates denies the evaluation advanced by the Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, who raised to about 40 the number of Russian aircraft.

The Russian army had before this attack about 60 strategic bombers TU-95 and about as many TU-22, planes made in the Soviet era and currently taken out of production. Russia continues to manufacture the more advanced bombarder Tu-160, of which it is not clear whether Ukraine has managed to hit anyone in that operation.

However, the early A-50 alert aircraft were hit, which according to the German cited general were not operational, being removed and kept in reserve. A-50 is a long-range radar detection plane and aeropurted command equivalent to AWACS aircraft used by NATO. The Russian air forces have operational aircraft less than ten A-50 aircraft, of which two have been shot down by Ukraine since the beginning of the war triggered by Russia in February 2022. These planes are used to collect information, identification of terrestrial and air targets and the coordination of troops. Several Ukrainian fighter jets have been shot down in this war by the Russian ones with the help of the assistance offered by the A-50 devices, which can follow 150 targets simultaneously on a radius of 230 kilometers.

Although the blow given by Ukraine of Russian strategic aviation is significant, the German general does not believe that this will cause the intensity of bombing in which Russia attacks Ukrainian targets with rockets launched by strategic bombers. “But there is, of course, an indirect effect, as the remaining aircraft will be used more frequently, which involves faster wear and, most importantly, the psychological effect is huge,” says General Christian Freuding.

On the other hand, he also reports, Russia will be forced to take quick measures to protect his strategic bombers, for which he has not built hangars and keeps them under the open sky, as he has never taken into account such an ingenious attack as the one made by Ukraine.

The drones used in this operation were clandestine introduced in Russia and launched from trucks parked near five aerodromes located thousands of kilometers away from Ukraine, respectively two aerodromes about 100 kilometers from Moscow, Olen Air Base in the Northern region Murmansk, the Belaia Air Base in Siberia and a Aerodrome.