Ukraine appears to expose Russian air defense gaps with long-range strikes

Russia must and will achieve the goals it has set

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 !

It must be tempting to target Moscow next. I am sure Russia would hypocritically call it "terrorism" then though.

Who is going to run out of electricity this winter??..

Moonraker

It must be tempting to target Moscow next. I am sure Russia would hypocritically call it "terrorism" then though.

It wouldn't be a good look. They would lose many allies if they did that.

Ukraine's air force said it had shot down more than 60 of around 70 missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at least four people were killed.

That's about 85%! I guess Russia launch a lot few missiles after their bases got hit.

A third Russian airfield was ablaze on Tuesday from a drone strike, a day after Ukraine demonstrated an apparent new ability to penetrate hundreds of kilometers deep into Russian air space with attacks on two Russian air bases.

This is starting to look embarrassing for Russia.

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.

UA is sending a message. Wonder if the Russians will transcribe it?

Why did they not hit Moscow,instead of seeking PR publicity

Yrral

Why did they not hit Moscow,instead of seeking PR publicity

Because unlike Russia, they attack military targets.

@

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.

This is starting to look embarrassing for Russia.

the embarrassment started months ago

Who is going to run out of electricity this winter??..

do you seriously want to know the answer or are you trying to be a smarty pants ?

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!

I guess Russia has reached their goal of look like fools?

Kyiv said the strikes were intended to hurt civilians

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?

it characterized them as terrorism

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!'

and said the aim was to disable its long-range aircraft

'Just coz I took his lunch money!'

It must be tempting to target Moscow next. I am sure Russia would hypocritically call it "terrorism" then though.

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.

Moscow insists it will not negotiate unless Kyiv and the West accept its sovereignty over Ukrainian lands it claims

Vlademort needs a new dictionary. He doesn't understand negotiate.

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

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

Makes you wonder why Russia haven't killed Zelensky yet.

Kings don’t kill kings, quote from Sal-a-Din

Makes you wonder why Russia haven't killed Zelensky yet.

they have tried several times, but thanks to good intel & great security, they failed

There are no valid military targets in Moscow

With the greatest of respect, you can't possibly know that. It's the head of the beast, after all.

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.

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.

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.

There are no valid military targets in Moscow, 

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.

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.

Nuclear capable strategic bombers no less.

Thumbs up for Ukraine! Take it to their front yard! The only message an aggressor understands,

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.

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.

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.

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.

And?? Do you think Russia is holding something back now out of kindness?

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.

(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.

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.

“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.

A short sharp shock maybe will bring a peace agreement.

Are the Russians going to note y finally do what is necessary for peace or wait for another short sharp shock?

And?? Do you think Russia is holding something back now out of kindness?

not out of kindness, but yes absolutely they are holding back.

Are the Russians going to now finally do what is necessary for peace or wait for another short sharp shock?

if you expect Russia will just sit and will not respond,you must be very naive.

It was extremely naive for Russians to support this and expect nothing to happen inside their own border. It’ll get worse too.

I can’t believe that nobody here has asked yet ‘What Air Defence Doing?’

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.

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.

Their are protests against NATO all over EU.

umm, no there aren’t

if you expect Russia will just sit and will not respond, you must be very naive.

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

in Europe there demonstrations against war in UA 

no, they are against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia

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.

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.

Sven Asai

But tell that to those brainless warmongers there, they won’t understand a single word 

The only warmonger here is Putin. Ukraine are just defending their country.

Rodney

Ukraine didn’t do this by itself.

Yes, there may have been some help in Russia to help guide the drones.

Russia is teetering on the brink of implosion.

Mad vlad is clearly going out like hitler - deranged in his bunker.

I think we all know Ukraine would never attack Russia. It must be Russian ineptitude, accidentally firing upon themselves.

Mad vlad is clearly going out like hitler

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

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.