Russia's aviation fleet: The tale of Tu‑95s and alleged thefts
Russian strategic aviation consists of two types of aircraft: the jet-powered Tu-160 with variable-sweep wings and the older, but more numerous, Tu-95 with turboprop engines. According to Ukrainian sources, most of the Tu-95s currently operated by Russia were acquired through an unusual theft that enabled Russia to expand its strategic aviation in the 1990s.
Russian propaganda frequently boasts about the Tu-160 aircraft, whose production resumed in 2015 after many decades of hiatus. The "White Swans," as these aircraft are called, are, contrary to propaganda messages, not only outdated but also very limited in number. The Russian air force has between 13 to 16 of these aircraft, but the number currently fit to fly is unknown.
The real workhorse of Russian aviation remains the old Tu-95. Currently, Russian strategic aviation has, according to various sources, between 45 to 60 of these aircraft. Unofficial sources suggest that only a few heavily used aircraft may still be airworthy.
It is known, however, that after the collapse of the USSR, there were no more than 30 Tu-95 on Russian territory, with production at the Kuybyshev Aviation Plant ending in February 1992. How did Russia acquire additional aircraft?
According to the Ukrainian service Defence Express, the strengthening of Russian strategic aviation occurred through an unusual theft. The objective was to acquire Kazakh Tu-95MS – a modernized version capable of carrying cruise missiles on external mounts.
The theft, according to Ukrainians, involved organizing maneuvers during which Kazakh Tu-95MS landed at a Russian airfield, where they were detained. For this purpose, the Ukrainka airfield in the Amur region, with a 3-kilometre runway, was used. In exchange, older Tu-95S with significantly lesser capabilities were sent from Russia to Kazakhstan, as they were not of interest to Moscow.
The USA does not confirm the "theft"
Other sources do not confirm these Ukrainian revelations. Information about the fate of strategic bombers that ended up in Kazakhstan's territory after the collapse of the USSR was presented almost 30 years ago by the American Jamestown Foundation.
According to American sources, the strategic bombers were indeed handed over to Russia, but this was not the result of a "theft." Instead, it was an agreement whereby Kazakhstan received Russian Su-27 fighters in exchange.
Ukrainian Tu-95 for Russia
In addition to the Tu-95MS acquired (regardless of the method) from Kazakhstan, Russia also strengthened its strategic aviation thanks to Ukraine in the early 1990s, as revealed by an investigation completed by the Ukrainian editorial team of Radio Svoboda and the Ukrainian investigative journalism project "Schemes" at the end of 2024.
In 1999, Ukraine transferred 11 Tu-95MS bombers along with 575 missiles and 11 turboprop engines to Russia in exchange for the cancellation of part of its debts. Both the Tu-95MS and Kh-55 missiles are currently being used by Russia in attacks on Ukraine.
