The Security Service of Ukraine on July 17 confirmed the destruction of a strategic Tu-95 bomber at the Engels military airfield in the Saratov Oblast of the Russian Federation.

The distance from the Ukrainian state border to the target was approximately 800 kilometers. The aircraft sustained critical damage: its tail section was completely torn off. The agency’s official statement emphasized that the destroyed aircraft had been systematically used to carry out missile strikes against Ukrainian cities.

Engels airfield is a key facility of Russia’s strategic aviation. It hosts Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers, and also stores FAB aerial bombs, KAB guided aerial bombs, and cruise missiles. It is from this base that carrier aircraft take off to conduct massive missile strikes against Ukrainian cities.

This air base has already been targeted multiple times by Ukrainian long-range operations:

  • On March 20, 2025, Engels was struck by SBU drones operating jointly with the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
  • on the night of July 16, 2026, the Armed Forces of Ukraine also carried out an airstrike against facilities at the airfield.

The SBU has not officially disclosed the type of drone used in this operation. However, the agency previously publicly showcased its own long-range development — the fixed-wing UAV “Morok” — whose specifications match the stated strike distance.

According to available data:

  • each drone is capable of carrying up to 30 kg of payload over a range of up to 800 km;
  • it is operated by the SBU’s Center for Special Operations “A” unit.

The SBU also actively employs other types of long-range domestically developed UAVs: in particular, the “Liutyi” drone, which has been used on multiple occasions to strike oil refineries and military facilities in Russia at distances of 800–1,700 km from the border.

According to an assessment by retired Armed Forces of Ukraine Colonel Petro Chernyk, Russia has approximately 60 Tu-95MS strategic bombers in total, but only up to 20 of them are in operational condition.

The SBU stresses that the operation was conducted in fulfillment of the President’s directives to reduce the military-economic potential of the aggressor state, and that every eliminated strategic carrier means dozens of missiles that will not be launched against Ukrainian cities.