Ту-95. ілюстративне фото Міноборони РФ
Russia deploys strategic bombers, first missile spotted in Ukraine; drone attack ongoing
Russia has launched Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers on the morning of 3 April during an ongoing Russian drone attack, with a large number of UAVs still in the sky.
Ukrainska Pravda
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Russia has launched Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers on the morning of 3 April during an ongoing Russian drone attack, with a large number of UAVs still in the sky.
Source: Colonel Yurii Ihnat, Head of Communications at the Air Force Command of Ukraine, on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast
Update: At 10:23, an air-raid warning was issued after the takeoff in Russia of a MiG-31K fighter jet, which is capable of carrying the Kinzhal aeroballistic missile. At 10:25, the Air Force reported the first missile in Ukrainian airspace.
Quote: "There is information that Tu-95 and Tu-160MS strategic bombers have taken to the skies, and if launches do take place and missiles appear, we will certainly report this.
A strike from strategic aircraft follows a typical pattern: the enemy launches missiles from long distances, from areas such as the Caspian region, Volgodonsk or Volgograd oblasts.
As is usually the case, it takes several hours for the missiles to reach even the centre of our country, so there is time to respond accordingly. By that I mean that the population should understand that there is a threat from both Shahed drones and missiles, as well as a ballistic threat."
Details: Ihnat noted that over the course of the day the Russians have already carried out 10 ballistic missile strikes on frontline regions – in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast – with confirmed hits.
The Air Force is not currently providing detailed updates as the attack is ongoing and there is a significant number of drones in the sky, particularly over the central part of the country, the officer explained.
According to Ihnat, this includes Kirovohrad Oblast, Vinnytsia Oblast and Cherkasy, and a large group of UAVs moving south from Sumy Oblast.
The Air Force spokesperson said that as of 07:00 around 240 drones had been recorded over the past 24 hours, but by 10:00 the number had exceeded 400, according to updated data. There is also information about additional launches from various directions.
"Therefore we are seeing something of a repeat of what happened on 23-24 March, when Russian attack drones operated throughout the entire day, and similarly from 31 March to 1 April," Ihnat said.
Background:
The biggest attack by Russian drones was recorded on 23-24 March. Russia launched 948 UAVs between 18:00 on Monday and 18:00 on Tuesday alone. The majority were downed, though some strikes did occur.
A second large-scale around-the-clock attack was carried out by Russia on 31 March – 1 April. From 18:00 on Tuesday to 18:00 on Wednesday, the Russians deployed over 700 Shahed, Gerbera and other types of strike UAVs.
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