Russia shifts its missile attack strategy after Ukrainian drones strike Engels airbase - military expert

He linked the new Russian bombing strategy to recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Engels, particularly on its fuel infrastructure, likely forced Moscow to rethink its deployment strategy.

Instead, the attack relied heavily on Tu-22M3 bombers from other bases, with a focus on targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Eight Tu-22M3 and six Tu-95MS bombers participated in the attack, all reportedly taking off from Olenya airbase rather than Engels. This marks a significant shift in Russia’s bombing strategy. Some Tu-22M3s later landed at Engels, while others returned to Dyagilevo airbase.

“We can already see the impact of these drone strikes — Engels was not used for this latest operation,” Popovych said.

“Recent attacks prevented it from being used to bomb Ukraine.”

Preventive power outages were introduced across Ukraine in anticipation of the attack. The exact number of missiles launched and their impact is still being assessed, but a portion of them was directed at western Ukraine, indicating a continued focus on striking energy infrastructure.