Olynia Air Base south of Murmansk is once again seen as a safe location for bombers from airfields hit by Ukrainian drones.
Soltsy-2 was bombed by a drone early in the morning. The Russian Defense Ministry confirms the attack and says one plane was damaged by a fire. Interfax reports.
Ukrainian war blogger report on cable Damaged about two Tu-22M3.
Soltsy-2 Air Base is located 650 kilometers north of Ukraine and is home to the 840th Heavy Bomber Regiment. Russia has frequently used Tu-22M3 bombers to launch attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.
High Frequency Radio Monitor posted on Twitter under the name@olga_pp98 Russian strategic aviation forces. Accordingly, at least six Tu-22M3 left Soltsy-2 for Olenya north of the Arctic Circle on Saturday.
There have been a number of Tu-22M3s at the air base before, but it is unclear how many are operational. In the middle of winter 2019, a Tu-22M3 crash landed in foggy weather. The plane broke in two and exploded, killing three of the four crew members.
The air base is located an hour’s drive south of Murmansk and only about 150 kilometers from the new NATO border, Finland. After Finland joined NATO on April 4, US surveillance aircraft on several occasions flew missions in the country’s northern airspace with a clear view towards Olenia Air Base in the east.
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Hiding in the North Pole
Last fall, Russia transferred more than 10 Tu-16 and Tu-95 strategic bombers to Olenya for the same reason after Ukrainian drones hit the Engels Air Base in the Saratov region, the Barents Observer reported.
The Kola Peninsula plays a vital role in Russia’s illegal and unjustified war on its neighboring country.
Bombers from Olenya repeatedly fly south to fire cruise missiles at Ukraine. The Northern Fleet has warships engaged in the Black Sea, and thousands of soldiers from the brigades in Pechenga and Alakurrti near the borders with Norway and Finland on the battlefields in eastern Ukraine.
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