The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that a military base in Novgorod county in the northwest of the country was attacked on Saturday. But now there is information that may indicate that this attack led to far more serious losses than what the Russian Ministry of Defense admitted. Over the weekend, Russian military bloggers have published photos which show that at least one strategic bomber of the type TU -22M3 is burning at the Soltsy air base. The Russian airbase Soltsy is located near the town of Novgo5rod in northwestern Russia. Two planes destroyed? According to several sources, it may be two planes that were destroyed in the attack. The renowned American institute Institute for the study of war ISW also confirms the attack through Russian sources, and that it must have led to losses on the Russian side. The TU-22M3 is an aircraft of an older type that has later been modernized. The plane has been used to send cruise missiles against Ukraine. A bomber of the type TU-22MR photographed in connection with a parade in Moscow in May 2016. Photo: AP Major prestigious victory for Ukraine It is seen as a major victory for Ukraine that the country has managed to attack targets deep inside Russia, which the well-known Ukrainian military blogger, Yuriy Butusov was quick to point out. Pictures posted on Twitter, among other places, showed smoke rising from the air base outside Soltsy. At least one TU-22MR aircraft is said to have been destroyed in the Ukrainian attack on Saturday. Photo: Telegram The fact that Ukraine manages to attack targets that are many hundreds of kilometers inside Russia in this way is, according to ISW, also criticized by several Russian military bloggers. Criticism is aimed, among other things, at the fact that the Russian air force allows bombers to stand outside unprotected at airports such as Soltsy. According to the Russian military blog which calls itself gray zone, the attack may have been carried out by a Ukrainian partisan group. They operate deep inside Russia and may have sent out drones against the Russian airbase from there.
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