Russia's ‘retaliatory’ attack on Ukraine falls short: only 7 bombers involved
On June 6, Russia deployed missiles and drones in what the Russian Defense Ministry described as "retribution" for the Ukrainian Security Service's special operation targeting Russia's strategic aviation fleet codenamed "Spider's Web."
Russia managed to launch just seven strategic bombers, which were loaded to nearly full capacity, according to the Ukrainian media outlet Defence Express.
The report highlights significant issues within Russia's strategic aviation, with experts pointing to the limited number of bombers available. During the long-range attack on the night of June 6, Russia launched 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles from strategic aviation aircraft, in combination with six ballistic missiles from Iskander or KN‑23 systems, two R-500 cruise missiles from Iskander complexes, and 407 Shahed drones and decoys.
Analysts have focused on the cruise missiles which were portrayed by Russian propaganda as a "retaliation" for the "Spider's Web" operation. The attack involved only five Tu-95MS and two Tu-160 bombers, which had previously carried 1-3 missiles each, but were loaded with an average of five missiles per aircraft in this instance.
"Some Russian cruise missiles still fell short within Russian territory, and likely, more than 36 Kh-101 missiles were launched by Russia, although not all reached their targets. Such an incident was last recorded on August 26, 2024, during what was then the largest combined strike, with at least 127 missiles, launched by 11 Tu-95MS aircraft, firing 77 Kh-101 cruise missiles," the analysts noted.
They added that reducing the load on aircraft is common to prolong their service life, and Tu-160s are used sparingly to conserve their operational resources. "Therefore, if Russia intends to maintain the pace and power of air-launched cruise missile strikes, the only alternative seems to be continuously deploying a limited number of fully loaded aircraft, at least in the short term," summarized Defence Express.
In the early hours of June 6, Russian forces targeted Ukraine with over 450 weapons missiles and drones. Among them were included 407 drones (Shahed and decoys), along with six Iskander-M ballistic missiles and two Iskander-K cruise missiles, alongside Kh-101 missiles. Ukrainian air defense systems neutralized 369 drones, four of six Iskander-M missiles, 30 of 36 Kh-101, and both Iskander-K missiles.
During the overnight assault, live footage of air defense launches, missile and drone impacts, and debris falling was streamed online after unknown individuals connected to webcams and broadcast the video on YouTube.