Russia Builds Protective Shelters for Strategic Bombers at Engels Air Base

Satellite imagery dated June 20, 2026, shows Russia constructing at least 17 protective shelters sized for strategic bombers at Engels Air Base in the Saratov region. The base lies roughly 300 miles from the nearest Ukrainian border and houses the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, which operates Russia's only squadron of Tu-160 bombers along with one squadron of Tu-95MS bombers.

The shelters mark a departure from prior practice.

Work on the bomber-sized structures began in April 2025. A model of a Tu-160-sized shelter was shown to Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in late May or early June 2025. Earlier protective measures at Russian airbases included blast walls between aircraft, tires placed on bomber surfaces, and painted silhouettes used as decoys.

Engels Air Base has faced repeated Ukrainian drone strikes. Attacks occurred three times in December 2022. A January 8, 2025, strike hit a Rosreserv fuel depot near the base and triggered a multi-day fire that prompted a regional state of emergency.

A March 20, 2025, attack targeted a weapons storage area at the base. The base underwent major reconstruction between 2012 and 2017, including a second runway measuring about 11,500 feet long and 200 feet wide alongside the original runway of similar length and 230 feet width. One runway has served as dispersed parking for bombers for years.

Russia has added hardened shelters sized for tactical aircraft at multiple bases since the conflict began. The new shelters at Engels extend that effort to long-range bombers previously left exposed on the flight line. The Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers are no longer in production, while new Tu-160M aircraft have entered service slowly since the first flight in early 2022.