 Russia is powerless to protect its prized supersonic nuke bombers from Ukrainian attacks. An airbase in the Novgorod region in northern Russia has been hit by a suspected drone attack that destroyed at least one long-range bomber. The Saltsy-2 airbase between Moscow and Saint Petersburg was hit by an explosion in the early morning of last Saturday that destroyed one Tu-tu-22M3 Backfire C swing-wing bomber which has been used to carry out airstrikes on Ukraine's infrastructure. An image published by the Russian media shows a totally burned-to-the-ground Russian bomber. Located 660 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, the base houses a number of Tupolev Tu-22M3 backfire aircraft, a strategic bomber with a variable sweep wing developed during the Soviet era. Operated by four crew members, this aircraft can reach speeds above 2,000 kilometers per hour and deliver more than 12 tons of ordnance, either conventional or nuclear. The Russian Federation has regularly used Tu-22M3 bombers for missile attacks on Ukraine using KH-22 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry stated, the Kiev regime carried out a terrorist attack using a copter-type UAV or the military airfield in Novgorod region. As a result of the terrorist attack on the territory of the airfield, a fire broke out in the aircraft parking lot which was promptly eliminated by fire regains. One plane was damaged but there were no casualties as a result of the terrorist attack. A Ukrainian telegram channel countered this claim and said that two Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers were badly damaged during the strike. The Institute for the Study of War cited a Russian insider source who also claimed that the fire damaged at least two aircraft. Russian media sources state that at least six Tu-22M3s have been relocated to the faraway Olenya airbase on the Kola peninsula following the strike. It has an operational range of nearly 7,000 kilometers which puts all of Europe and the east coast of the United States within its scope.