Ten Russian Tu-95 Bombers Launch Mass Cruise Missile Strike on Ukraine

In the early hours of March 26, the Russian Aerospace Forces deployed 10 Tu-95MSM strategic bombers for large scale Kh-101 cruise missile strikes on Ukrainian targets. Six of the bombers took off from Olenya Airbase on the Kola Peninsula near the Finnish border, while a further four took off from Engels Airbase in Central Russia east of Saratov. The missiles were detected entering the Kharkiv region, where Russian ground forces have <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-redeploys-50000-kharkov-kursk" target="_blank">been expanded</a> by tens of thousands of personnel in recent days, before overlying Sumy and the Poltava region, and heading in the direction of the capital Kiev. The Tu-95 currently forms the backbone of the Russian bomber fleet, with an estimated 60 aircraft in service split between three squadrons. Each Tu-95MSM bomber is capable of carrying eight Kh-101 missiles on its external pylons, with the missiles having very long ranges of over 5000 kilometres, advanced radar evading capabilities, integrated decoys, and carrying 400 kilogram warheads. The missiles have been used extensively since the outbreak of full scale hostilities in February 2022 by Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bomber units. Their’ high costs and relatively low payloads, and the ability of much shorter ranged missiles to engage targets across Ukraine, has nevertheless raised questions regarding the cost effectiveness of their use compared to other kinds of air and ground launched weapons. Reports in early May indicate that production of the missiles&nbsp; to expected to be further expanded to 600 per year in 2025.<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/26/article_6833fd44d1ead3_58083637.jpg" title="Tu-95MSM Carrying Eight Kh-101/2 Cruise Missiles">The large Tu-95 strike follows an attack on Russia by 1,177 Ukrainian drones, of which 788 were reported by Russian sources to have been shot down. Russia <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-largest-drone-attack-ukraine-shahed136" target="_blank">responded</a> with its own large scale drone attack on May 17, launching 273 Shahed 136&nbsp; drones and decoys. Tu-95MS bombers were 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-2s. An upgrade package to bring the aircraft to the Tu-95MSM standard began development in 2009, and integrated the world's most powerful serial turboprop engine the NK-12MPM and new propellers onto the aircraft to facilitate an increased weapons carrying capacity and improved range. Upgrades&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-doubles-stealthy-cruise-missile-payload-of-tu-95-bombers-with-lethal-new-tu-95msm-variant">doubled the aircraft’s weapons payload&nbsp;</a>and provided compatibility with the Kh-101 and its nuclear armed counterpart the Kh-102.&nbsp;Compared to the newer Tu-160M bomber currently in production, the Tu-95MSM is prized for its low operational costs and maintenance needs, which also simplifies the task of sustaining high availability rates. The particularly long range of the Kh-101 and Kh-102 allows the bombers to launch strikes from safe distances, which ensures they can continue to be valuable assets despite their low speeds and high radar cross sections. Russia is currently developing a new class of strategic bomber with advanced stealth capabilities under the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/new-airbase-test-pakda-bomber" >PAK DA program</a>, which is expected to facilitate a phasing out of the Tu-95MSM fleet in the late 2030s or early 2040s.&nbsp;