<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">A flagship Russian long-range bomber has been destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike, according to reports.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Images posted on social media and analysed by BBC Verify show a Tupolev Tu-22 on fire at Soltsy-2 airbase, south of St Petersburg.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moscow said that a drone was hit by small-arms fire but managed to "damage" a plane. Ukraine has not commented.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later, Russian air defence downed two attack drones over the Moscow region, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Defence officials said two other drones were intercepted over the Bryansk region, north-east of the Ukrainian border.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Flights were suspended at Moscow's three biggest airports, according to state media - but the two main international airports at Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo later reopened.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Russian Tu-22 bomber that was destroyed can travel at twice the speed of sound and has been used extensively by Russia to attack cities in Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moscow's defence ministry said in a statement that an attack by a "copter-type UAV" took place at around 10:00 Moscow time (08:00 BST) on Saturday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It stated the location as "a military airfield in the Novgorod region", where Soltsy-2 is situated.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The UAV was detected by the airfield's observation outpost and was hit with small-arms fire," the ministry said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"One airplane was damaged; there were no casualties as a result of the terrorist act."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The statement also said a fire which broke out in the airfield parking lot was quickly extinguished.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, images posted on the social media platform Telegram showed a large fire engulfing a jet with the distinctive nose cone of the Tu-22. BBC Verify analysed the images and believes them to be credible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While the destruction of a single aircraft will have little effect on the potency of Moscow's current 60-strong fleet, the operation highlights Kyiv's growing ability to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kyiv has over recent months launched dozens of fixed-wing unmanned aircraft to attack Moscow, a journey of several hundred miles. Soltsy-2 is around 400 miles (650km) from the Ukraine border.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, the Russian MoD's description of the drone as a "copter-type UAV" suggests a cheap, commercially available device launched at short range.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Tu-22 is a Cold War-era, swing-wing supersonic bomber, codenamed "Backfire" by Nato, which has been used extensively in attacks on Ukrainian cities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Modern versions such as the Tu-22M3 can reach speeds of Mach 2 (2,300km/h or 1,430mp/h) and can carry up to 24,000kg of weapons, including "dumb bombs" and homing missiles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They have been used in conflicts in Syria, Chechnya, and Georgia and most recently in Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to prosecutors in Kyiv, 30 people were killed when a Tu-22-launched missile hit a block of flats in Dnipro in January.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They said Russia's 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment carried out the attack. The regiment is based at Soltsy-2.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">BBC Verify confirmed the location of the Ukrainian drone attack on Soltsy-2 by comparing visual clues - such as the appearance of aircraft and bays - to historical satellite images of the airbase.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The weather conditions at the time - wet and overcast - also matched the weather in the images, as well as other witness photos of the incident.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The remnants of the aircraft visible in the footage are consistent with that of a Tu-22M3.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Historical satellite imagery analysed by BBC Verify shows that aircraft of this kind were stationed at the base.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Monday, a spokesperson for Ukraine's defence intelligence service said another military aircraft had been damaged in a drone attack in Russia's Kaluga region.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russian media also reported the attack, but denied there had been any damage. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>