There’s a huge difference between a highway and an airport runway. Runways for large aircraft are pretty complex. They can be 20 or so inches thick with layers of a substrate, then reinforced concrete, then a top asphalt layer. The asphalt is also typically a special type that provides higher friction & flexibility to allow for thermal expansion. Granted, Russia is likely to cut corners, but that just risks damaging the aircraft on takeoff or landing if any debris is kicked up, if the runway buckles under the weight of the aircraft, cracks form from the sun heating it up, etc.
The photo in that article shows radar (AWACS) aircraft as well as what appear to be bombers in the background. Those are comparable to commercial aircraft, especially when the bombers are fully loaded.
There’s a huge difference between a highway and an airport runway. Runways for large aircraft are pretty complex. They can be 20 or so inches thick with layers of a substrate, then reinforced concrete, then a top asphalt layer. The asphalt is also typically a special type that provides higher friction & flexibility to allow for thermal expansion. Granted, Russia is likely to cut corners, but that just risks damaging the aircraft on takeoff or landing if any debris is kicked up, if the runway buckles under the weight of the aircraft, cracks form from the sun heating it up, etc.
But all those nuances are not important in the short time. Plus fighter jets aren’t heavy.
The photo in that article shows radar (AWACS) aircraft as well as what appear to be bombers in the background. Those are comparable to commercial aircraft, especially when the bombers are fully loaded.