Ukraine hits Tu-95 bomber, Buk-M3 system and drone sites in coordinated strikes across Russia and Crimea

Ukraine's defence forces carried out a series of coordinated strikes between 27 and 29 August against Russian military assets stretching from Saratov Oblast in western Russia to occupied Crimea, the General Staff has confirmed. The operations hit a strategic bomber beyond repair, a surface-to-air missile system, radar stations, drone control centres and an electronic warfare post.

The most high-profile strike came on 28 August at Engels-2 airfield in Saratov Oblast, where a Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber was badly damaged. OSINT analysts from the Stratehichna Aviatsiia Telegram channel, which tracks Russian aviation, reported that the strike hit the wing of an aircraft used for training flights. “The aircraft is beyond repair,” the channel stated. A satellite image analysed by OSINT analyst Absolutely Reliable Source showed the Tu-95MS with a badly damaged right wing; the same airfield also holds a Tu-95MS damaged in an earlier strike. The Tu-95MS is a Soviet-era bomber that Russia uses to launch Kh-101, Kh-555 and Kh-55 cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities, according to Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Source: Ukrainska Pravda.

In Russia's Bryansk Oblast, the General Staff confirmed on 29 August that a Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system was destroyed near the settlement of Klintsy on 28 August. The Buk-M3 is a modern mobile air-defence system capable of engaging aircraft, cruise missiles and drones. Its removal from the order of battle reduces Russia's ability to protect rear-area assets from Ukrainian attacks Source: Ukrainska Pravda.

In occupied Crimea, Ukrainian forces struck multiple military targets. On 27 August and the night of 27–28 August, a Nebo-SV radar station, a P-18 radar system and mobile communications equipment were hit near Olenivka, the General Staff said. In the village of Frunze, a Mykolaivka radio-relay station was also struck. In Sevastopol, a Russian military training centre was hit. On 28–29 August, additional strikes targeted storage, preparation and launch sites for Russian attack drones near the city of Donetsk (occupied by Russian forces) and Hvardiiske in Crimea. An electronic warfare system near Znamianka was also struck Source: Ukrainska Pravda.

On the mainland, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian drone control centres near Uspenivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast on 27 August, as well as a concentration of weapons and military equipment near Krasna Hora in Donetsk Oblast. The extent of damage to all these targets is being confirmed.

The General Staff also confirmed that a previous strike on 24 August destroyed a Kasta radar station in Karaichev, Rostov Oblast, Russia. On 24–25 August, Ukrainian forces struck Russian electronic warfare systems in occupied Luhansk and Myrne, Crimea, as well as fuel, ammunition and logistics warehouses in Berdiansk and Prymorsk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Why this matters These strikes show that Ukraine is able to hit a broad range of Russian military targets deep inside occupied territory and even inside Russia itself—disrupting air defence cover, command-and-control links, and the logistics needed to sustain drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. The destruction of the Tu-95MS bombers reduces Russia's strategic bombing capacity, while the removal of Buk-M3 systems and radar stations compounds pressure on Russian air defence coverage in western Russia and Crimea. The systematic targeting of drone preparation and launch sites, coupled with control-centre strikes, is part of a broader effort to degrade Russia's ability to conduct reconnaissance and precision strikes with one-way attack drones.

The operations were confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which continues to gather battle-damage assessments. The strikes follow a pattern established over the previous months of deep, precise attacks against high-value Russian assets.