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British intelligence has found out where the Russian military is hiding a fleet of modern Su-57 jets which have been used to launch bombing raids on Ukraine. The latest briefing shared by the Ministry of Defence on Twitter states that commercially available satellite images show five Su-57s located at an airbase in the Astrakhan region of Russia.
The MoD intelligence note reads: “Since at least June 2022, Russian Aerospace Forces have almost certainly used Su-57 FELON to conduct missions against Ukraine. FELON is Russia’s most advanced fifth-generation supersonic combat jet, employing stealth technologies and highly advanced avionics.
“These missions have likely been limited to flying over Russian territory, launching long-range air-to-surface or air-to-air missiles into Ukraine.
“Recent commercially available imagery shows five FELON parked at Akhtubinsk Air Base, which hosts the 929th Flight Test Centre. As this is the only known FELON base, these aircraft have likely been involved in operations against Ukraine.
“Russia is highly likely prioritising avoiding the reputational damage, reduced export prospects, and the compromise of sensitive technology which would come from any loss of FELON over Ukraine.
READ MORE: Ukraine’s ‘superheroes’ bringing the lights back after Russian strikes
British intelligence pinpoint location of Russian military jets (Image: Getty/MoD)
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 9 January 2023
Find out more about the UK government’s response: https://t.co/MFEwqMMnI3
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“This is symptomatic of Russia’s continued risk-averse approach to employing its air force in the war.
“Defence Intelligence analysis of [the satellite image], dated 25 December 2022, identified five Su-57 FELON multirole aircraft at Akhtubinsk airfield, Russia.”
It comes as officials at a vocational school in an eastern Ukraine city dismissed claims by Russia that hundreds of Ukrainian troops were killed in a missile strike there, saying Monday that a rocket merely blew out windows and damaged classrooms.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its missiles hit two temporary bases housing 1,300 Ukrainian troops in the city, killing 600 of them, late Saturday.
A separate, six-story school building was largely undamaged. There were neither signs of a Ukrainian military presence nor any casualties.
Ukrainian officials on Sunday quickly denied the Russian claims it had lost a large number of soldiers in the attack.
Despite the absence of any evidence that hundreds of Ukrainian troops died in the strike, Moscow wouldn’t budge.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said reports from the scene didn’t shake senior officials’ faith in defense authorities.
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Russia vs Ukraine: Military power (Image: Express)
“The Defense Ministry is the main, legitimate, and comprehensive source of information about the course of the special military operation,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters, using the Kremlin’s term for the war.
During the war, both sides have regularly claimed to kill hundreds of each other’s soldiers in attacks. The claims can seldom be independently verified because of the fighting.
Moscow’s allegations may have backfired domestically, however, as some Russian military bloggers criticized the Kremlin’s claims about the Kramatorsk strike.
The Institute for the Study of War think tank said the bloggers “responded negatively to the Russian (Ministry of Defense’s) claim, pointing out that the Russian MoD frequently presents fraudulent claims and criticizing Russian military leadership for fabricating a story … instead of holding Russian leadership responsible for the losses accountable.”
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