The Long-Range Aviation (LRA, organised as the 37th Air Army) stands apart from the tactical AFADA and is centrally controlled. It forms the air leg of the nuclear triad and at the same time provides conventional stand-off strike power with cruise missiles (Kh-101/102). The bombers fly from a handful of large bases deep in the interior.
| Base | Unit | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| Engels-2 | 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Division | Tu-160, Tu-95MS |
| Shaikovka | AGp 6950th AFB | Tu-22M3 (± 48) |
| Olenegorsk (Olenya) | 6952th AF Base | Tu-22M3 |
| Belaya (Srednyy, Irkutsk) | Heavy Bomber Division (det.) | Tu-22M3, Tu-95 |
| Ukrainka (Seryshevo) | Heavy Bomber Division (East) | Tu-95MS (± 36) |
The LRA operates on the concept of the "launch box": bombers launch their cruise missiles far outside the reach of enemy air defence. The threat lies not in the aircraft itself but in the cruise missiles with a range of 2,500+ km. See the threat cards for Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3.
Operation Spiderweb — 1 June 2025
The LRA seemed untouchable deep in the interior — until Ukraine struck on 1 June 2025 with Operation Spiderweb ("Pavutyna"). The intelligence service SBU smuggled ± 117 small FPV drones in trucks deep into Russian territory and launched them right next to the bases — an attack that undid strategic depth as a defence.
| Base | Result (open source / satellite) |
|---|---|
| Belaya (Irkutsk, Siberia) | ± 3 Tu-95MS and 4 Tu-22M3 destroyed — first strike in Siberia |
| Olenya (Murmansk) | ± 4 Tu-95 and 1 An-12 destroyed |
| Ivanovo Severny | 2 A-50 AWACS hit |
| Dyagilevo / Ukrainka | Attack failed or no hits |
Independent estimates (e.g. IISS) put it at ± 12 aircraft destroyed — around 20% of the serviceable strategic bomber fleet. These aircraft are no longer produced and are virtually irreplaceable. As a result Russia dispersed and relocated bombers (among others to the Far East), built shelters and even painted aircraft silhouettes on aprons as decoys. The attack showed the vulnerability of fixed air bases as a core weakness of the VKS (see § 6.8).