<p >Following Ukrainian forces’ launch of a large highly successful <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-most-successful-strike-russian-bomber-bases" target="_blank">large scale drone attack</a> on multiple Russian airbases across the country’s northern and western regions, satellite footage has confirmed the destruction of multiple Tu-95MS and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/kh22-strikes-impossible-air-defence-desperate" target="_blank">Tu-22M3 strategic bombers</a>. The Russian Aerospace Forces’ third class of bomber, the Tu-160, is deployed in much smaller numbers with the entire fleet permanently based at Engels Airbase, a more facility which Ukrainian forces have <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-successful-strike-key-hub-russian-tu160-fleet" target="_blank">targeted multiple times</a> in the past. The <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/tu95-launch-mass-cruise-missile-strike-ukraine" target="_blank">Tu-95MS currently forms </a>the backbone of the Russian strategic bomber fleet, with 60 of the aircraft estimated to have been in service before the attack, while work was ongoing to bring the aircraft up to the enhanced Tu-95MSM standard. Although the Tu-95 first flew during the Korean War in 1952, the heavily enhanced Tu-95MS variant was produced from 1981-1993, making them newer than any bombers fielded in the Western world other than the U.S. Air Force’s small fleet of 18 B-2 stealth bombers. A combination of factors including the end of Tu-160 production when the Soviet Union disintegrated, delays developing a more capable strategic bomber under the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/new-airbase-test-pakda-bomber" target="_blank">PAK DA program</a>, and delays bringing the Tu-160 <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-first-post-soviet-bomber-tu160" target="_blank">back into production</a> as a stopgap measure, have meant that the Tu-95MS fleet represents overwhelming majority of Russia’s intercontinental range nuclear strike capabilities. &nbsp;</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/02/article_683db6e192eec8_77204961.jpeg" title="Tu-95MSM Bomber with Eight Kh-101/102 Cruise Missiles"></p><p >The attack on the Tu-95 bomber fleet is confirmed to have destroyed at least four aircraft, but according to Ukrainian sources may have destroyed over a dozen, representing a devastating blow to the air arm of the Russian nuclear triad. Unlike the Tu-22M3, of which several dozen aircraft remain in storage and can likely be brought back into service, and unlike the Tu-160 which is <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/putin-delegation-inspect-tu160m" >currently in production</a> at the Kazan Aircraft Plant, the Tu-95MS bombers lost are irreplaceable. Although it was previously expected that resumed production of the Tu-160 would lead to the phasing out of a portion of Russia’s Tu-95s, the sharp escalation of tensions with NATO and perceived need for greater intercontinental range strike capabilities from 2022 made it appear likely that the bomber fleet would instead be expanded and the full Tu-95 fleet retained for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;</p><p >The loss of several Tu-95s could lead the Russian Aerospace Forces to respond by bringing more Tu-22M3 bombers out of storage, as although the lighter aircraft lack a comparable range, they can be given greater responsibility for engaging nearer targets, and have a limited capability to launch intercontinental range strikes if refuelling in the air. A further possibility is that the destruction of the aircraft will add urgency to the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-s-pak-da-nuclear-stealth-bomber-to-emphasise-standoff-attacks-and-electronic-warfare-reports" target="_blank">PAK DA next generation bomber</a> program, and lead the Defence Ministry to make more funding available, in order to supplement procurements of Tu-160 bombers.&nbsp;Even if the bombers are replaced, however, the newer jet powered aircraft are not expected to have comparably low operational costs and maintenance needs which long made the Tu-95 particularly attractive as a reliable and cost effective vehicle for the delivery of long range cruise missile strikes.&nbsp;</p>
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