Ukrainian Drone Strike Hits Two Russia’s Tu-142 at Rostov Airfield, Satellite Images Confirm
UNITED24 Media • • world
Key Points:
- Satellite imagery has confirmed that two Russian Tu-142 maritime aircraft were destroyed at the Taganrog-Yuzhny airfield in Russia's Rostov region following a Ukrainian drone strike on May 30.
- The destroyed aircraft included a Tu-142MR long-range communications plane and a Tu-142MK anti-submarine aircraft, both of which had been in long-term storage and were no longer active in Russia's Aerospace Forces.
- Despite the loss, a third Tu-142MR and two A-50 early-warning aircraft (damaged in earlier attacks) remain at the airfield.
- The strike is part of Ukraine's broader campaign to target Russian military aviation assets far from the front lines, including recent attacks on aircraft repair facilities and airbases deep inside Russia.
- The destruction of these specialized Tu-142 aircraft further reduces Russia's limited fleet of maritime patrol and communications planes, impacting its aviation reserve capabilities.