Amid the upcoming two-week mark since the drone attack that resulted in the destruction of just over a dozen aircraft—revised from the 41 originally claimed by the Ukrainian side—the Russian Aerospace Forces have decided to relocate their valuable Tu-160 strategic bombers. According to open-source intelligence (OSINT), satellite images reveal that the aircraft have been redeployed to various locations across the country, far from the Ukrainian border. This relocation occurred almost simultaneously with the deployment of Tu-22M3 bombers on multiple patrol flights over the Baltic Sea, escorted by Su-30SM and Su-27 fighters.
Providing some details that seem to confirm the aforementioned, we can highlight the case of one of the Tu-160 bombers originally stationed at Belaya Air Base, which on June 4 was captured by satellite images landing at Anadyr Air Base. This example stands out not only for reflecting the relocation of these aircraft, but also for the place chosen to become the new home of the strategic bomber in question. It is a base located no less than 6,750 km from the Ukrainian border, and at the same time, only 660 kilometers from U.S. territory (Alaska).
Broadly speaking, this is a measure that brings with it a significant series of logistical challenges, but which, in the view of the Russian Aerospace Forces, is vital to keeping their most important bombers out of reach of new drone attacks. In the particular case of Anadyr Air Base, Western analysts point out that it is an old deployment site established during the Cold War, which was intended to host long-range bombers and reconnaissance aircraft to monitor U.S. activity in the Bering Strait. The base is notable for being supplied solely by air and sea (depending on the season), which, although it poses greater difficulties for the transport of supplies, reduces the risk of drone attacks launched from cargo trucks, since there are no roads connecting to it.
It’s also worth noting that while the relocation places the bombers far from the Ukrainian front, the Tu-160s can still carry out precision strikes when needed. This is due to their long range—the greatest among Russia’s strategic bomber fleet—and their compatibility with cruise missiles such as the Kh-101, which have a range of 3,500 to 4,000 km. The redeployment thus ensures the protection of Russia’s limited number of Tu-160s—estimated at around 17 units—without rendering them strategically inactive.
On the other hand, it is worth noting that while the fear of a drone attack on Russian strategic bombers is well-founded in light of the events of June 1, there has yet to be confirmation that any Tu-160 units were lost. So far, available reports indicate that the damage to Russia’s bomber fleet was severe, but limited to the older and less capable Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 platforms, rather than the more recently redeployed models. These losses, however, could prompt Moscow to accelerate, and potentially expand, the production of Tu-160s, a process it has pursued since 2015 with significant difficulty.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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