Reports indicate that Russia has initiated the use of a new airbase, the "Sovietsky" airfield in Vorkuta, for conducting missile strikes on Ukraine. At a distance of 2,400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, it takes approximately 3 hours and 25 minutes for aircraft to reach the launch zone from this base.

As of September 17, the Sovietsky airfield housed five Tu-95MS aircraft. During the night of September 18, two of these bombers took off from the base.

The decision to use this more distant airbase suggests that the occupiers are concerned about the threat posed by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at closer air bases.