Weapons supply plan for Olenya base, on the border Finland on the Kola Peninsula. This may be the cause of the ongoing operations at Engels-2 airport, a strategic military air base located 14 km east of Saratov (Russia south center), which hosts the only operational fleet of Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers.
Satellite image
Satellite images published by the Telegram channel “Strategic Aviation of the Russian Federation” captured 137 trucks, an An-12 transport plane and several bombers on the airport runway. Last August, a similar mission involved at least four Tu-95MS nuclear bombers being moved near Europe. The planes will be full of missiles. Putin decided to carry out several Tu-95MS movements from the Olenya air base, in the Murmansk Arctic region and from Engels-2, in the Saratov region, after experiencing a Ukrainian drone attack on the Saky base in Crimea on August 1. Therefore, the Tu-95MS were initially sent to Ukrainka, in the Amur region, 5,650 miles east of Moscow, where they were deemed safe from attack, and then moved to the Olenya and Engels-2 bases.
Tupolev Tu-95 bomber
The Tupolev Tu-95 is a Soviet-built four-engine strategic bomber, developed in the 1950s by Tupolev, which entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1956 and remains in service today. This missile was designed to carry out nuclear deterrence and strike missions, but was also used in the conflict against Ukraine with conventional bombs. The exact purpose of their stay there is currently unknown, but it is thought to be related to the transport of weapons for the bombers stationed at the Engels-2 airbase.
Engels-2 Base
It should be noted that this airbase is used for strategic aviation. Since October 2025, regional expansion efforts have been carried out. Concrete is being poured on the north side of the airport. Previously, on September 30, similar work was completed on the southern section, after which concrete strips were laid along the new section of the taxiway. The base expansion plans were announced in May and the first construction work was recorded on March 23 this year. Presumably, additional parking spaces are intended for Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers, as well as Su-34 front-line bombers and Su-35 multirole fighters.
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