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© Thomson Reuters 2022.Ukraine appears to expose Russian air defense gaps with long-range strikes
By Pavel Polityuk and Sergiy Chalyi KYIV/NOVOSOFIIVKA, Ukraine©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
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49 Comments
tooheysnew
if it’s goals were to lose 100,000 young men & $$ billions of military equipment on the battlefield, have 100’s of 1000’s of their men escape the country, experience a brain drain, ruin their economy & military reputation, - mission accomplished !
Moonraker
It must be tempting to target Moscow next. I am sure Russia would hypocritically call it "terrorism" then though.
TokyoLiving
Who is going to run out of electricity this winter??..
2020hindsights
Moonraker
It wouldn't be a good look. They would lose many allies if they did that.
2020hindsights
That's about 85%! I guess Russia launch a lot few missiles after their bases got hit.
2020hindsights
This is starting to look embarrassing for Russia.
Nemo
Way to "smoke them out", Ukraine. One of those sites was not far south of Moscow. And through the " vaunted, impenetrable " Russian SAM shield no less.
Nemo
UA is sending a message. Wonder if the Russians will transcribe it?
Yrral
Why did they not hit Moscow,instead of seeking PR publicity
2020hindsights
Yrral
Because unlike Russia, they attack military targets.
Kobe White Bar Owner
@
YrralToday 08:00 am JST
Why did they not hit Moscow,instead of seeking PR publicity.
Hitting Moscow would make Ukraine look as bad a Vlad The Invader.
tooheysnew
the embarrassment started months ago
do you seriously want to know the answer or are you trying to be a smarty pants ?
ok1517
About time!
Hit legit targets inside Russia - areas the aggressors use to commit their terror attacks!
Should teach Russia and Putain a lesson or two - but guess they won't learn!
Ukraine go - Ukraine rocks - Ukraine will prevail!
Michael Machida
I guess Russia has reached their goal of look like fools?
PTownsend
The 'mighty' Russian military forces have targeted civilians throughout, and they seem to prefer bombing civilians when they're sleeping knowing that there is little chance of the 'mighty' soldiers getting hurt. Cowards, defended by their supporter's whataboutisms mentioning atrocities committed by the 'west'. If some of Putin's supporters are European do you want Russia to have greater control over your home nation?
cleo
Just like the big kid in school beating up the little kid and taking his lunch money, then when the plucky little kid gets a punch in, crying 'Mummy, he hit me! Waaah!'
'Just coz I took his lunch money!'
It would be terrorism. There are no valid military targets in Moscow, and lots of civilians.
Ukraine manage to stop over 60 of 70 incoming missies, but russia cannot detect and intercept soviet-era drones flying deep into its territory? Maybe they find it cathartic to own up to abject incompetence.
Vlademort needs a new dictionary. He doesn't understand negotiate.
Yrral
Moscow is considered a command and control,Putin and Zelensky are both considered part of command and control,are legal target Google Targeting Leaders Part of Command And Control In War
2020hindsights
Yrral
Makes you wonder why Russia haven't killed Zelensky yet.
Cricky
Kings don’t kill kings, quote from Sal-a-Din
tooheysnew
they have tried several times, but thanks to good intel & great security, they failed
Moonraker
With the greatest of respect, you can't possibly know that. It's the head of the beast, after all.
JeffLee
A superpower's air force at a time of war against a nearby enemy keeps its combat aircraft parked on an open tarmac with no protection. The incompetence of Russia's military beggars belief.
Mark
YES SIR, many experts stated early on in this war that in order for Ukraine to stop or win this war it need to take it to Russia. Congratulations.
noriahojanen
Those series of cross-border attacks must have psychological impacts on Russia, not to mention its logistical damages.
I'm interested in how the Japanese government reacts to, or interprets the events. For its Parliament is currently engaged in the debate over Japan's capability of counter-attacking or even pre-emptive ones to the eminent threat from hostile neighbors.
Desert Tortoise
Oh yes there are. The Kremlin, GRU headquarters ("The Aquarium" it is called by the Russians), FSB headquarters, SVR-RF headquarters and Sheremetyevo Airport where the design, manufacturing and test faciliteis for much of Russias aerospace industry resides are important, and legitimate, military targets. There is also a housing complex next to GRU headquarters where much of their emeritus politicians, engineers and former spies live in retirement.
Desert Tortoise
Nuclear capable strategic bombers no less.
OssanAmerica
Thumbs up for Ukraine! Take it to their front yard! The only message an aggressor understands,
Desert Tortoise
If you look at it as the Russians probably did, you have a military airfield from the Cold War when Ukraine was part of the USSR. If you Google Map it you can see it has what appears to be separate conventional and nuclear weapons storage areas and a normal home field kind of flight line. If you looked at NATO and Warsaw Pact airbases closer to the old Iron Curtain you saw revetments and aircraft storage bunkers. Engles doesn't look that much different from a stateside SAC base or even Anderson Air Force Base on Guam. When it was designed nobody was worried about Ukraine becoming an enemy state and until probably yesterday the Russians didn't imagine Ukraine had the means to attack a base that far from the border.
elephant200
That will just triggering a fierce revenge from the Russians, more barage or air raids are to be expected in Kyiv. The damage has done some to the Russians but it won't stop more attacks from Putin's order.
Desert Tortoise
While only 141 of the longer ranged TU-141s were ever built, were only used by the Soviets and not apparently sold to any other nation, the shorter ranged TU-143s appear to have been sold to several former Warsaw Pact nations that are now NATO members and with 950 built are relatively abundant compared to its longer ranged big brother. Opportunities for NATO allies to contribute, especially if the Ukrainians have the means to convert them into cruise missiles.
fallaffel
And?? Do you think Russia is holding something back now out of kindness?
rainyday
(Checks Putin's Top Secret invasion plans)
Day 287: "Let Ukrainians blow up our strategic bomber bases in continuance of clever ruse that we suck at war."
Yup, it checks out. Everything still going according to plan.
Rodney
Ukraine didn’t do this by itself. Maybe the best option for Russia is to target Ramstein Air Base and deny it. You can win poker by bluffing. Most people don’t want the war to spread. Their are protests against NATO all over EU. A short sharp shock maybe will bring a peace agreement.
stormcrow
“Why did they not hit Moscow . . . ?
Best not to hit Moscow or you’d create a Pearl Harbor moment and Putin would declare it as a day that would live on in infamy. Needless to say, it would be beneficial for Putin in uniting Russians to fight. Ukraine is smart not to bomb Moscow.
Haaa Nemui
Are the Russians going to note y finally do what is necessary for peace or wait for another short sharp shock?
Blacklabel
not out of kindness, but yes absolutely they are holding back.
Haaa Nemui
Are the Russians going to now finally do what is necessary for peace or wait for another short sharp shock?
Haaa Nemui
It was extremely naive for Russians to support this and expect nothing to happen inside their own border. It’ll get worse too.
UChosePoorly
I can’t believe that nobody here has asked yet ‘What Air Defence Doing?’
cleo
I stand corrected. A pinpoint strike on Vlademort’s bunker in the Kremlin would certainly be a legitimate strike. One can only hope.
But attacking a city precisely because it’s a population center, for the express purpose of harming civilians - that’s an orc tactic.
I hope and believe that Ukraine will stay on the right side of morality.
tooheysnew
umm, no there aren’t
what can Russia do that hasn’t been done already ?
Torture & murder citizens - yep
rape & kill women & children - yep
destroy civilian apartment buildings - yep
bomb hospitals & schools - yep
no, they are against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia
Sven Asai
The real problem is their narrow view. If they fight each other in Ukraine and Russia, and afterwards Europe pays the reconstruction, then on a global scale that whole continent even still faster than already by other reasons will drown into a third or fourth world nothing. But tell that to those brainless warmongers there, they won’t understand a single word of that and rather continue killing each other and thinking there’s something to win at the victorious end. No, Selensky, Putin and EU , there’s now just nothing to win, only everything to lose.
Hercolobus
Maybe it should say NATO/US since they are the ones directing the war from behind the scenes, and wanting to prolong it by virtue of being accessories and accomplices of the comedian.
2020hindsights
Sven Asai
The only warmonger here is Putin. Ukraine are just defending their country.
2020hindsights
Rodney
Yes, there may have been some help in Russia to help guide the drones.
Madverts
Russia is teetering on the brink of implosion.
Mad vlad is clearly going out like hitler - deranged in his bunker.
Strangerland
I think we all know Ukraine would never attack Russia. It must be Russian ineptitude, accidentally firing upon themselves.
tooheysnew
in his last days, hitler was ordering all these imaginary tank & troop divisions to come to Berlin & rescue him. Problem was, they had all been destroyed & didn’t exist.
putin is experiencing the same delusion
1glenn
Russian "air defense gaps," aka "Russian military incompetence."
At least under the Soviets, corruption was frowned upon. With Putin's leadership, the military has become just another way to siphon money off to the oligarchs. Along with Putin's homicidal megalomania, we witness his gross incompetence. Maybe that's a good thing. It would be very bad for the world if Putin's insanity were coupled with competence.