Bombers from Kola Peninsula brought death to Ukrainian towns
Six of the Tu-95MS strategic bombers that took part in today’s deadly and devastating raids against Ukrainian towns and settlements took off from the Olenya base in the Murmansk region.
At least eight people were killed and more than 50 injured in the Russian attacks on 30 July.
Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure across the country were hit. Major damage was reported from Kyiv, Lviv, Kryvyi Rih, and the Poltava region.
Ahead of the attacks, several bombers had been redeployed to Olenya, a Russian air base located on the Kola Peninsula about 90 km south of Murmansk.
According to Avivector, eight Tu-95MS bombers had been redeployed from the Ukrainka Air Base in the Far East to Olenya on 29 July. On 22 July, another two bombers had been redeployed from Ukrainka to Olenya.
Between 24 and 28 July, one Tu-95MS from Olenya Air Base was redeployed to Engels-2 Air Base three times and returned. On 22 July, two Tu-95MS from Dyagilevo Air Base were redeployed to Olenya Air Base, Avivector reported.
The bombers from Olenya are believed to have carried a large number of Kh-101 cruise missiles.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the attack involved more than 70 missiles, a significant number of which were ballistic. In addition, there were more than 280 attack drones. More than 260 drones were successfully shot down and destroyed, as well as a significant number of the cruise missiles.
The president repeated his calls for international support for air defence.
"This Russian terror once again proves: protecting against the Russian missile threat is the most important task for preserving the lives of our people. And this is a task that cannot be solely Ukrainian, solely of one country. All partners know how and what they can do to help," he said.
The Olenya Air Base has a 3,500-metre-long runway, the longest on the Kola Peninsula. It is home to the 40th Composite Aviation Regiment, which is part of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division.
The base has repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian forces. On 1 July 2025, a swarm of Ukrainian drones successfully destroyed several bombers at Olenya as part of Operation Spiderweb.
The drones were brought north in a truck without the driver’s knowledge. From a parking spot near the air base, the drones took off, flew low over the trees, and targeted five military aircraft parked on the apron near the southern end of the runway. Four of the planes were Tu-95MS bombers, all of which were totally destroyed.
