Clues

A flagship Russian long-range bomber has been destroyed in a Ukrainian Drone Strike , according to reports.

Images posted on Social Media and analysed by BBC Verify show a Tupolev Tu-22 On Fire at Soltsy-2 airbase, south of St Petersburg.

Moscow said that a drone was hit by small-arms fire but managed to " damage" a plane. Ukraine has not commented.

The Tu-22 can travel at twice the speed of sound and has been used extensively by Russia to attack cities in Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement that an attack by a " copter-type UAV" took place at around 10:00 Moscow Time (08:00 BST).

It stated the location as " a military airfield in the Novgorod region" where Soltsy-2 is situated.

" The UAV was detected by the airfield's observation outpost and was hit with small-arms fire, " the ministry said.

" One airplane was damaged; there were no casualties as a result of The Terrorist act. "

The Statement also said a fire which broke out in the airfield parking lot was quickly extinguished.

However, images posted on the Social Media platform Telegram showed a large fire engulfing a jet with the distinctive nose cone of the Tu-22. BBC Verify analysed the images and believes them to be credible.

While the destruction of a single aircraft will have little effect on the potency of Moscow's current 60-strong fleet, the operation highlights Kyiv's growing ability to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

Kyiv has over recent months launched dozens of fixed-wing Unmanned Aircraft to attack Moscow, A Journey of several hundred miles. Soltsy-2 is around 400 miles (650km) from the Ukraine border.

However, The Russian MoD's description of The Drone as a " copter-type UAV" suggests a cheap, commercially available device launched at short range.

The Tu-22 is a Cold War-era, swing-wing supersonic bomber, codenamed " Backfire" by Nato, which has been used extensively in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Modern versions Such as the Tu-22M3 can reach speeds of Mach 2 (2,300km/h or 1,430mp/h) and can carry up to 24,000kg of weapons, including " dumb bombs" and homing missiles.

They have been used in conflicts In Syria , Chechnya, and Georgia and most recently in Ukraine.

According to prosecutors in Kyiv, 30 people were killed when a Tu-22-launched missile hit a in January.

They said Russia's 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment carried out The Attack . The Regiment is based at Soltsy-2.

BBC Verify confirmed the location of the Ukrainian drone attack on Soltsy-2 by comparing visual Clues - Such as The Appearance of aircraft and bays - to historical satellite images of the airbase.

The Weather conditions at The Time - Wet and Overcast - also matched The Weather in the images, as well as other witness photos of The Incident .

The remnants of the aircraft visible in the footage are consistent with that of a Tu-22M3.

Historical satellite imagery analysed by BBC Verify shows that aircraft of this kind were stationed at The Base .

Source of news: bbc.com