Russia’s long-range bomber fleet, which has relentlessly targeted Ukrainian cities in recent months, is facing scrutiny over its murky origins—some of which lead back to post Soviet theft from Kazakhstan and economic desperation in Ukraine.
Ukraine recently launched a series of coordinated drone and missile strikes deep inside Russian territory, claiming to have damaged or destroyed over 40 military aircraft. These included Tu-95 and Tu-22M strategic bombers and the A-50 airborne early warning plane, across bases as far as the Arctic and the Russian Far East—more than 7,000 kilometres from Ukraine’s borders. Ukrainian security services estimate the cost of the damage at up to 5.5 billion pounds (£5.5 billion / $7 billion).
What makes this more striking is that many of the same Tu-95MS aircraft reportedly used to strike Ukraine were never built by post Soviet Russia. They were allegedly taken from Kazakhstan in the early 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union.
When the USSR dissolved in 1991, its vast military hardware was scattered across newly independent republics. Kazakhstan unexpectedly inherited the world’s largest fleet of Tu-95MS strategic bombers: 40 aircraft, including 27 MS-16 models capable of launching cruise missiles and 13 MS-6 variants. In contrast, Russia’s Tu-95MS fleet numbered fewer than 30, and with the production line closed in 1992, it had no way to replace them.
Taking advantage of Kazakhstan’s inexperience and the still-strong ties of the Soviet-era military structure, Russia reportedly reclaimed these bombers without formal agreements or repayment. During joint exercises in early 1992, Kazakh crews flew Tu-95MS bombers to Russian airbases like Ukrainka—but the aircraft were never returned. In their place, Moscow allegedly sent back outdated models or nothing at all. Russian sources claim only 16 to 18 Tu-95MS aircraft were “transferred,” but no complete records exist to prove what was lost or seized.
Ukraine’s own role in shaping Russia’s bomber fleet came through economic coercion. In 1999, facing a gas debt crisis and lacking the resources to operate its own strategic aircraft, Kyiv agreed to transfer bombers and cruise missiles to Moscow in exchange for debt relief. What was a survival measure for Ukraine turned into a strategic windfall for Russia.
These Tu-95MS bombers—obtained through backdoor swaps, economic manipulation, and unreturned transfers—now form the core of the Russian dictator’s long-range strike capability. They have been used to attack Ukrainian cities throughout the war, and are now increasingly being targeted by Ukraine’s counter strikes.
