Russia Expands Key Strategic Bomber Plant as Ukraine Targets Air Bases

Russia is expanding a major aircraft factory in Kazan, where strategic bombers are built and modernized. The images, provided by Planet Labs, show that new production buildings appeared at the Kazan Aircraft Plant last winter.

The largest structure is around 320 meters long, covering roughly 19,000 square meters – the size of three football fields, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported Friday.

The Kazan factory produces and upgrades Tu-22M3 and Tu-160M bombers and also manufactures new Tu-160M2 aircraft. Despite the expansion, Yle reports production remains slow, with only two Tu-160M2 and two Tu-160M aircraft completed this year.

According to Yle, Kazan is Russia’s only plant capable of replacing strategic bombers damaged or destroyed by Ukraine’s recent drone strikes, known as Operation Spiderweb.

On June 1, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched drone attacks on air bases in four Russian regions – Olenya, Belaya, Ivanovo-Severny and Diaghilev. Western intelligence estimates the strikes damaged 40 Russian aircraft, with 10 to 13 destroyed.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed 41 planes were hit, half beyond repair. Russia’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged damage but denied any aircraft were destroyed.

The Kazan plant also produces Tu-204 passenger jets and is expected to supply new Tu-214 aircraft. Only one Tu-214 is nearly finished, according to Yle, and it reportedly uses the last batch of Western-made parts.

Tu-214 aircraft are used by Russia’s Defense Ministry, the FSB security service, and the Rossiya special flight unit, which transports government officials.

Western sanctions have banned aircraft parts exports to Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, Yle previously reported that Moscow has created a shadow network to smuggle aircraft components worth about 1 billion euros through intermediaries in third countries.