It was a very long day, though not as long as it was for the Ukrainians. So we’re going to cover the basics and call it an update.
First thing this AM reporting began to filter out that Ukraine had struck deep into Russia targeting airbases that were home base for strategic Russian bombers. Strategic Russian bombers that had been targeting Ukrainian civilian residential, health care, educational, energy generation and transmission, and water treatment, generation, and transmission facilities.
Tu-141 are 1970s technology. If Russian radar and air defenses could not defeat a Tu-141 that flew hundreds of miles from hitting its main airbase for its strategic bombers in a war setting, that doesn't bode well for its ability to stop a mass cruise missile strike.
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) December 5, 2022
A lot of pseudonymous social media accounts immediately started speculating whether these were those recently reported on new Ukrainian drones – the ones that looked like grey sleds with a white raptor, the Ukrainian flag, and some digitized Ukrainian embroidery patterns painted on them – or something even newer. As you can see above it turned out to be something older. And that, as Rob Lee states, is even more interesting because one would think that the Russians would’ve been able to track and stop a Tu-141 with its air defense. Of course the Kremlin wasn’t going to let this embarrassment pass. The NY Times has the details:
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine executed its most brazen attack into Russian territory in the nine-month-old war on Monday, targeting two military bases hundreds of miles inside the country, using unpiloted drones, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and a senior Ukrainian official.
The drones were launched from Ukrainian territory, and at least one of the strikes was made with the help of special forces close to the base who helped guide the drones to the target, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to convey sensitive information.
The strikes signaled a new willingness by Kyiv to take the fight to bases in the heart of Russia, raising the stakes in the war, and demonstrated for the first time Ukraine’s ability to attack at such long distances. Shortly after the attacks on the bases, Russia sent a barrage of missiles streaking toward Ukrainian cities.
The Engels air base and the Ryazan military installation are between 300 and 450 miles from the Ukrainian border, which is beyond the range of any known missile in Ukraine’s arsenal.
Only a few hours after the explosions, Ukrainian officials said that more than a dozen Russian bombers had taken off from the Engels air base.
Russia launched a volley of missiles at Ukraine’s energy grid on Monday, knocking out power in several regions, officials said, the latest in a monthslong campaign of strikes by Moscow targeting civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian air defense systems fired into the sky in multiple areas of the country but not all missiles were intercepted. Four people were killed by the Russian strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, and officials reported damage to energy infrastructure.
Much more at the link!
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:
War for Ukraine Day 285: Attack, Counter-Attack, & Air DefensePost + Comments (46)