Two Tu-22M3 bombers were damaged in the July 25 strike targeting the Olenya airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on July 30.
Yusov reported prior that one Russian bomber was damaged in the attack at the airfield, located about 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
In a recent comment to RFE/RL, the spokesperson also clarified that the strikes against the Russian airfields of Olenya in Murmansk Oblast, Engels in Saratov Oblast, and Diagilevo in Ryazan Oblast were carried out on July 25 at around 4 p.m. local time, not on July 27, as was reported earlier.
The restoration of the aircraft hit at the Olenya airfield may take several months, and during the attack, the air raid alarm did not work at the airfield, according to Yusov.
The RFE/RL's Russian service published on July 30 satellite images that "show no traces of a Ukrainian strike on the strategic airbase," according to the journalists.
Yusov said satellite images are "not the only source of information that should be relied on."
"The information has been confirmed from various sources, and we can already speak about this incident as something that definitely took place," he added.
Yusov also said that Ukraine's military intelligence "neither confirms nor denies" Ukraine's involvement in the attack.
While Ukraine does not have permission to fire Western-made long-range weapons deep inside Russian territory, the country frequently uses domestically-produced drones.
Ukraine's drone operations often target oil refineries and airfields, aiming to reduce Russia's oil process capabilities and hinder its economy, as well as target Russian aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities.
Chris York
(Updated: )
