According to British intelligence services, the Russian military will be weakened by relocating its long-range bombers to eastern Russia. Additional maintenance work and the greater distance from Ukraine would further reduce the limited flight hours of the aging Tu-95MS long-range bombers, the British Ministry of Defense said in its daily briefing on Thursday.
However, Moscow will still be able to launch air-launched cruise missile attacks on Ukraine from eastern Russia, as the weapons have a range of 5,000 kilometers.
London based its assessment on Ukrainian information, according to which Russia is said to have moved long-range bombers and other weapons to the east at the end of December. The southern Russian military airfield Engels was hit by attacks on December 5th and 26th.
The Russian Defense Ministry said three soldiers were killed in the attack on Christmas Day. They were hit by falling debris from a downed Ukrainian drone. The information cannot be verified independently. According to the British, the transfer of weapons to areas further away from Ukraine is probably a reaction to these attacks.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, the British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a disinformation campaign. (Tsp with dpa)
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