Fearing More Attacks, All Bombers Removed From Russia's Premier Engels Base

Recent satellite photos reveal that Russia's Engels airbase, which has served as the primary launch point for bombers attacking Ukrainian targets, no longer hosts any planes at all. 

Following Ukraine's devastating surprise drone attack on Russian bomber bases two weeks ago, Russia began moving its remaining planes to the Far East. This may remove them from immediate harm, but it also puts them hours away from Ukraine - and from other potential European targets, rendering Russia's strategic threat less capable. JL

Demian Shevko reports in New Voice of Ukraine:

For the first time in years, there are no aircraft visible at Russia’s Engels-2 airbase — one of its most important hubs for strategic aviation. Located in Saratov Oblast, Engels-2 has long served as a launch point for Russian missile strikes on Ukraine and previously played a major role in air operations over Syria. However, analysis of imagery from April and May — before Ukraine’s Operation Cobweb targeted multiple Russian airfields — shows that Russia typically maintained a contingent of long-range bombers at the base. As of mid-June, none remain.

For the first time in years, there are no aircraft visible at Russia’s Engels-2 airbase — one of its most important hubs for strategic aviation — according to Sentinel-2 satellite imagery reviewed by The New Voice of Ukraine on June 15.

Located in Saratov Oblast, Engels-2 has long served as a launch point for Russian missile strikes on Ukraine and previously played a major role in air operations over Syria. However, analysis of imagery from April and May — before Ukraine’s Operation Cobweb targeted multiple Russian airfields — shows that Russia typically maintained a contingent of long-range bombers at the base. As of mid-June, none remain.

 

Two objects in the northern section of the base may resemble aircraft, but closer examination suggests they are likely decoys, said NV military correspondent Serhiy Okunev.

Photo of Engels-2 airbase taken on June 15, 2025 / Infographics: Sentinel-2 / NV

Russia has been known to paint aircraft silhouettes on runways since at least 2023 to deceive satellite-based surveillance. But this tactic has since been exposed and lost its effectiveness.

In 2024, nuclear security expert William Moon published a study noting the presence of a nuclear weapons storage facility just 7 kilometers from the Engels-2 base. Theoretically, the base could be used to launch aircraft equipped with nuclear payloads.

According to Moon’s assessment, the facility may house dozens of nuclear warheads. With no aircraft currently stationed at Engels-2, Russia has temporarily lost its ability to quickly deploy nuclear weapons from that location. The warheads likely remain in storage, but the delivery systems are no longer nearby.

Engels-2 is part of Russia’s Aerospace Forces and hosts strategic bombers such as the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS, which have been used repeatedly in large-scale missile attacks on Ukraine.

On June 1, Ukraine launched Operation Cobweb, targeting Russian strategic aviation at four airfields: Olenya (Murmansk Oblast), Belaya (Irkutsk), Dyagilevo (Ryazan), and Ivanovo. Following the strikes, open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts observed that Moscow began relocating many of its strategic aircraft — including Tu-160s, Tu-95MS bombers, and Tu-22M3s — to airfields in Russia’s Far East.

According to OSINT group AviVector, at least seven Tu-160s were moved from Irkutsk to Anadyr (Chukotka), Yelizovo (Kamchatka), and Kazan. Eleven Tu-22M3s were reportedly transferred to Ukrainka airbase in Amur Oblast. Some Tu-95MS bombers previously stationed at Engels were also moved to these more remote locations