Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it destroyed a Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber at the Engels air base in Russia’s Saratov region during a long-range drone strike, with President Volodymyr Zelensky praising the operation as another successful “long-range sanction” against Moscow. SBU said on Friday, July 17, that its long-range drones flew approximately 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) to reach the target.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The SBU’s long-range drones covered about 800 kilometers to the target. According to preliminary data, the aircraft suffered critical damage – its tail section was completely torn off,” the agency said on Telegram. The SBU said the bomber had been regularly used to launch large-scale missile strikes against Ukraine. The operation was carried out as part of efforts to reduce Russia’s military and economic capabilities, in line with tasks set by Zelensky. “The SBU systematically destroys important elements of the Russian war machine. Every strategic bomber eliminated means dozens of missiles that will not be launched at Ukrainian cities, saved Ukrainian lives, and tens of millions of dollars in irreparable losses for the enemy,” the agency said. The SBU added that Russia’s strategic aviation “can no longer feel safe even at its most remote military airfields.”