Russia's unexpected actions near the Ukrainian border, a series of strange structures appear

In response to Ukrainian UAV attacks, Russia has launched an aircraft protection program at several airports near the Ukrainian border.

On July 29, British Ministry of Defense intelligence revealed that Russia is promoting a program to build shelters to protect aircraft at several airports near the border with Ukraine. This move is seen as a response to Ukrainian drone attacks amid the prolonged conflict.

According to images released by the British Defense Intelligence Agency, new shelters have appeared at at least three Russian air bases located deep inside the country, including: Millerovo, Kursk Vostochny and Hvardiiske. These are all locations near the border with Ukraine, playing a strategic role in the operations of the Russian air force.

The shelters are designed with solid domes, thick blast doors and are reinforced with earthen covers to enhance protection against drone and missile attacks.

Notably, the Millerovo Air Base, which regularly hosts Su-30SM and Su-34 fighter bombers, just 17 km from the Ukrainian border and was most recently targeted on July 22, has seen the appearance of eight new bunkers, which are in the process of being completed and could soon be operational.

Furthermore, Moscow wants to ensure the survivability of its frontline air assets and reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian UAV raids, especially those conducted during Operation Pavutyna (Spider's Web). These protective measures may limit Russia's flexibility but enhance its ability to protect its assets.

Militarily , such shelters are designed to withstand the impact of a blast from a low-yield nuclear warhead or munitions launched by a drone, although they are not completely immune to advanced Western weaponry.

Attacking hardened shelters would require direct strikes with heavy precision-guided warheads such as the US-supplied GLSDB small diameter bomb, Storm Shaqow/SCALP cruise missiles, or Ukrainian-developed Neptune and Hrim-2 missiles, or a coordinated, massive attack capable of overwhelming local defenses.

Geopolitically , the bunker construction underscores the Kremlin’s deeper concerns about the vulnerability of key military assets, which have been exacerbated by the recent redeployment of strategic bombers to remote bases like Anadyr, near the US border.

The physical displacement of these high-value platforms further illustrates the concerns among Russian commanders about the survivability of their assets in the face of Ukraine’s growing offensive capabilities. The decision to cancel this year’s Russian Navy Day parades due to security concerns further underscores how alarming the threat from Ukraine is.

In addition to building shelters, Russia has deployed a variety of countermeasures, from painting fake planes on runways to covering real bombers with tires to fool UAVs. However, the actual effectiveness of these measures remains questionable.

Long-range drone strikes are one of Ukraine's rare bright spots in a conflict now in its fourth year, where the front lines remain largely unchanged but long-range strikes are increasingly playing a key role.

As the US and the West restrict Ukraine from using missiles to attack Russian territory, Kiev has poured a lot of resources into developing domestic UAVs. As a result, over the past year, Ukraine has continuously launched UAV attacks deep inside Russia, targeting a series of important targets such as weapons factories, ammunition depots, oil stations and air bases.

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