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These satellite photos show Russian bombers Ukraine says it destroyed

c/world · u/MicroWave@lemmy.world · 118 points

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Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press on Wednesday show seven destroyed bombers on the tarmac at a Russian air base in eastern Siberia, one of the targets Ukraine said it struck with drones in one of the most daring covert operations of the war.

The photos provided by Planet Labs PBC show aircraft wreckage and scorched areas at the Belaya Air Base, a major installation for Russia’s long-range bomber force. In the images, at least three Tu-95 bombers and four Tu-22Ms appear to be destroyed.

Ukraine said that 41 Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers and other types of combat aircraft, were destroyed or damaged in Sunday’s operation, which officials said was planned over 18 months. The attack delivered a heavy blow to Russia’s air force and its military prestige.

It has so far been impossible to confirm the full extent of the damage.

Comments

u/barneypiccolo@lemm.ee · 2 points

If nothing else, they'll have to be taken out of commission for a while to be thoroughly inspected and tested.

u/IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world · 3 points

It’s possible they’ve still been damaged enough to be unusable. Heat and/or shrapnel from those airplanes that burned could have easily caused damage that these satellites can’t see.

u/AmidFuror@fedia.io · 22 points

They couldn't afford to put "damaged" or "scorched" in the headline, so they went with making it sound like the opposite of what it was supposed to convey.

u/catloaf@lemm.ee · 37 points

Well, we don't know that for sure. There might have been someone smoking a cigarette nearby that accidentally caused a fire. Next to each one. At the same time.

u/EffortlessEffluvium@lemm.ee · 2 points

You never know. Those planes may have been struggling lately and just made a decision.

Mental health _is_ health!

u/pelespirit@sh.itjust.works · 5 points

I don't, they've been a mixed bag for quite a few years. They have some sketch board members as well.

Scroll down to see specifically AP:https://sh.itjust.works/comment/12174861

u/Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org · 15 points

The drone footage of the attack is also public. Like sure it has to be confirmed but it's not like there's no evidence other than a few wrecks.

u/phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 4 points

Yeah, maybe they phrased the headline that way for the people who thought the bombers just did that to themselves.

u/Valmond@lemmy.world · 5 points

You kid but they scraped away the scorched rests and put intact planes over it to hide the damade from satelite images.

What an incredible operation, slava Ukraine!

u/pelespirit@sh.itjust.works · 192 points

These headlines are such crap. It makes it sound like you can see the bombers still intact, but Ukraine says they destroyed them. No, it shows them fucked up.

u/expatriado@lemmy.world · 68 points

if they remove "says it" from the title would be more concise and less misleading in a single fix