Two explosions carried out by Ukraine hit two military airports in the country, reportedly destroying two Russian nuclear bombers and causing three deaths and six injuries, media reports claimed on Monday. According to estimates, the explosions were caused by tankers loaded with gasoline.
One of the bombed airports contained a training center for military aircraft and tanks. At the second airport, two Tu-95 nuclear bombers were hit by a drone. In addition, military officials in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine said that nine people were killed after the Ukrainian army shelled the city of Alchevsk.
BREAKING:Major explosions at the Engels Air Base in Saratov, Russia. It’s the same air base from which a major Russian air attack is expected to be launched against Ukraine.Initial reports say Ukraine attacked it with drones and damaged 2 Tu-95 bombers pic.twitter.com/nvp3BsVu6W
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 5, 2022
The news came after Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu announced recently that in the coming year, Russia will focus on improving the infrastructure for its nuclear arsenal. His announcement came amid fears that Moscow might use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. Benjamin Netanyahu, the presumptive incoming Israeli prime minister, said that the chances were not zero in an interview with NBC on Sunday.
How can Russia measure up?
According to British intelligence estimates, Russia is unlikely to achieve success on the battlefield in the coming months, and therefore maintaining public silence regarding the war in Ukraine is expected to be more difficult for the Kremlin.
Polls reportedly show that public support in Russia for the "special military operation" has significantly decreased. They were cited by independent Russian media outlets that claimed the data was collected by the Federal Defense Service for internal use. Only 25% of Russians reportedly claimed that they were in favor of continuing the fighting.