Ukrainian drones a stone’s throw from Moscow: the war in Ukraine enters a new phase and widens the borders

Ukraine has launched its first attack on the heart of Russia with own drones against two air bases, one of which is equipped with nuclear bombs.

Ukrainian sources said Monday’s attack with two drones (unmanned aircraft) was a success. of national construction which have a range of a thousand kilometers and they are suicide bombers: Self-destruct when hitting targets.

The drones were launched from Ukrainian territory and represent an aggravation of the conflict, taking this into account these weapons could also attack Moscow at least demonstrating the Ukrainian resilience and the growing insecurity of the Russian population.

Three weeks ago the company Ukroboronprom announced that it had manufactured the drone, which carries a 75-kilogram explosive and electronic devices to overcome countermeasures.

The new “arrow” is what would be used to attack the trail. the base of Engels-2 from Saratov, located in Russian territory 750 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

The second attack targeted the facilities of the Ryazan baseThings 185 kilometers southeast of Moscow. There is a training center for long-distance aviation and tanker aircraft.

The United States has so far refused to supply the Ukrainians with weapons capable of operating more than 200 kilometers away. to prevent a direct attack on Russian territory.

Government officials in Washington have admitted that the Pentagon modified without informing the Ukrainians the 20 Himar systems delivered to Kiev since June, so that they can not be used to attack Russian territory.

This is an urgent precaution desired by President Joe Biden to avoid dangerously prolonging the conflict with Russia.

War expands borders

The attack with national drones that arrive a thousand kilometers away dramatically reformulates the question. While the ability to seriously harm the Russians militarily is minimal, it shows that the war continues to expand its borders.

Since October 10, Russia has launched over ten massive missile attacks against Ukraine mainly destroying the country’s energy infrastructure, with serious damage to electricity, water pumping and also against targets intended to increase the suffering of the populationfacing a winter with temperatures down to twenty degrees below zero.

At Ryazan Air Base in western Russia, three servicemen were killed and six others injured. A fuel truck exploded and the blast caused damage to one of the military aircraft lined up on the runways.

At Engels Air Base, located in the Saratov region near the Volga River, Russian authorities acknowledged that an explosion had occurred at the air base. TU-95 and TU-160 strategic bombersparticipating in attacks on Ukraine and possibly carrying nuclear weapons.

Two strategic bombers they were damaged from the Ukrainian kamikaze drone.

A Kremlin spokesman said President Putin was “regularly briefed”.

The Ukrainian government, for its part, reported that the anti-aircraft defense managed to intercept 60 of the 70 missiles launched yesterday by the Russians against its territory.

The Russians were taken aback by Ukraine’s iron will to fight various episodes.

The (various) Ukrainian surprises

The loudest it was collapse of the flagship Moskva of the Black Sea Fleet. Another case was the operations of small special units on Russian territory near the border. Also the surprise attack of small radio-controlled boats on the Sevastopol base in the Crimea and the precise hits of Himar rocket launchers against important Russian fuel and weapons depots.

One operation that particularly irritated Russian President Vladimir Putin was the devastating attack on the gigantic Kerch bridge, which created many problems for the movement of military and civilian material in Crimea, a peninsula occupied by the Russians in 2014.

It is known that President Zelenski and his advisers are promoting the production of drones and missiles in the country, with their own technology and the assistance of some allies.

It’s about achieving military goals. deeper and deeper on Russian territory. The news of the drones that attacked Russian bases on Monday opens up new dangerous scenarios in the war.

For example, it raises in concrete terms the possibility of attack enemy bases and depots on Russian soilwhich has an important military result, but also a political one.

Ukrainians may in the future organize rallies in Moscow and other Russian cities to demonstrate this to the population “no one is sure.”

The attack on Engels base is particularly important because it is the only one in Russia for Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers. the largest supersonic military aircraft capable of flying at twice the speed of sound. It has a 3500m long runway.

A “huge” failure

In its daily update on the war situation this Tuesday morning, the British Ministry of Defense writes that Russia will perhaps consider the two drone strikes on Monday “as the most strategically significant failure”.

The British intelligence report, published on Twitter, underlines that the two bases “are found much more within Russia compared to previous explosions.

Engels is the main base of operations for the bombers, which have carried and fired conventional missiles against Ukraine. According to British intelligence, the Russians are likely to decide “send to other basestemporarily, a part of the strategic bombers”.

Rome, correspondent