(Dan Tri) – ISW has yet to find any visual evidence that Ukraine damaged or destroyed aircraft at any of the four Russian air bases attacked by UAVs on April 5.

Fighters Su-34, Su-30SM and MiG-31 at a Russian air force base (Illustration: Russian Ministry of Defense).

Defense analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that geolocation footage showed explosions and the activation of Russian air defense systems at all bases.

Satellite images taken on April 4 – the day before the attacks – show:

Engels Air Base has: 3 Tu-160 supersonic strategic bombers, 5 Tu-95 strategic bombers, 1 Il-76 and 1 Tu-22.

Yeysk Air Base has: 10 L-39 jet combat training aircraft, 5 An-26, 1 An-74, 1 An-12, 4 Su-27 fighters, 4 Su-25 attack aircraft, one

Morozovsk airport has: 29 aircraft, mainly Su-34.

ISW also noted that, in the past, Ukraine’s UAV attacks tended to only target individual air bases in Russia, and the possibility of Ukraine attacking four different air bases at the same time is small.

ISW believes that Ukraine’s attacks on targets inside Russia are a necessary part of Ukraine’s campaign to weaken the industries supporting Russia’s military efforts and capabilities.

Russian forces regularly use Tu-95 strategic bombers based at Engels Air Base to launch Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles against targets in Ukraine, and as of 2023,

If the attack is confirmed, the possibility of losing about 5% of Russia’s Tu-95 strategic bombers in a single attack would be significant.

Notable comments in ISW’s April 5 report:

First, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian army are believed to have carried out one of the largest UAV attacks on military targets in Russia, targeting at least four air bases in

Second, the recent increase in the pace of Russian offensive operations in Ukraine will likely lead to increased losses in personnel and equipment, but the Russian Ministry of Defense appears to have succeeded in reducing

Third, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal noted that Ukraine is starting to recruit new units, but needs more military support from the West to properly equip them.

Fourth, Prime Minister Shmygal also said that Russian missile and UAV attacks in recent weeks have damaged or interrupted about 80% of electricity output at the country’s thermal power plants, when the military

Thursday, an unidentified UAV attacked a military unit in Moldova’s pro-Russian separatist republic of Transnistria on April 5.

Friday, Russia is believed to have carried out thousands of cyberattacks against the railway transport infrastructure of the Czech Republic and other European countries as part of a broader effort to disrupt rail transport.

Saturday, on April 5, Russian troops confirmed further developments west of Avdiivka as trench fighting continued along the entire front line.

Eighth, the Russian defense industry continues to mobilize to meet the needs of the country’s military in Ukraine.

Ninth, President Vladimir Putin announced on April 4 that Russia will soon open two youth centers in the Moscow-controlled regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson, aimed at spreading Russian culture and history to Ukrainian youth.