A Russian Tu-95 Bear on an airfield, circa 2011. Russia had about 58 of the strategic bombers before it invaded Ukraine in 2022, and has lost about 18 percent of them to Ukrainian drone attacks. (Wikimedia Commons/Alex Beltyukov)
Ukraine Has Been Steadily Destroying Russia’s Tu-95s. Here’s Why That Matters
Russia stopped building the bombers more than 30 years ago, and it can’t repair or replace them.
Since the start of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has seen more than half a million Russian soldiers killed in the fighting. According to new data from British military intelligence, the losses are likely to continue and have done little to deter Russia’s Vladimir Putin from his goal to bring Ukraine under Russia’s sphere of influence.
In total, Russia has faced 1.45 million casualties, with around 450,000 deaths, the heaviest of any nation since World War II. The toll is roughly 100 times greater than the Soviet Union’s losses during its decade-long war in Afghanistan, and more than four times greater than all US military deaths in all wars combined since World War II.
In addition, Russia may have lost more than 10,000 tanks—at least 40 percent of its pre-war tank fleet.
Still, the most significant loss may be to its long-range heavy bombers, specifically its Tu-95 (NATO reporting name “Bear”). Beyond just the strategic role the Tu-95 played, the Cold War-era aircraft remains a symbol of Russian power and of national pride.
Ukraine’s forces have steadily been destroying them. And Russia can’t replace them.
How Many Tu-95s Did Russia Have Before the Ukraine War?
Russian aerospace company Tupolev built the first Tu-95 in 1952, and began series production in 1956. It built more than 500 of the bombers. Tupolev paused production in the 1960s or ‘70s, and resumed in 1981 to manufacture the modernized Tu-95MS missile-carrier variant. The company stopped production completely in 1992.
Before it launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia maintained a fleet of approximately 58 Tu-95MS bombers.
How Many Tu-95s Has Russia Lost in the Ukraine War?
Ukraine has destroyed at least eight Tu-95MS bombers, and damaged three others, according to Oryx, a site that documents war losses based on photographic evidence. The losses represent about 18 percent of Russia’s pre-war fleet.
Ukraine destroyed eight bombers in Operation Spiderweb in June 2025.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) used drones to specifically target the strategic bombers that were at the Engels Air Base in Russia’s Saratov region in July.
“The SBU’s long-range drones covered about 800 kilometers to the target. According to preliminary data, the aircraft suffered critical damage – its tail section was completely torn off,” SBU wrote in a post on the Telegram social messaging app following the strikes.
It added, “The SBU systematically destroys important elements of the Russian war machine. Every strategic bomber eliminated means dozens of missiles that will not be launched at Ukrainian cities, saved Ukrainian lives, and tens of millions of dollars in irreparable losses for the enemy.”
Why Russia Can’t Replace Its Tu-95s
Russian officials have said they will restore the Tu-95s, but that’s very unlikely.
Aviation analysts and historians often compare the Tu-95 to the US Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress, but there are some crucial differences.
The US Air Force maintains an operational fleet of 58 B-52s, with 18 more in reserve. It has dozens more preserved at the famed “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, that it can restore or use for parts.
Russia doesn’t have a boneyard like the one in Arizona for a few reasons: Russia doesn’t have a vast, desert environment where it can store aircraft. And even if it did, it doesn’t have the funds to preserve aging aircraft. It barely has the funds to maintain some of its modern fighters or build new ones.
The Tu-95s will remain high-value targets that Russia can’t afford to lose, because they are simply irreplaceable.
The Tu-95’s Specifications
- Year Introduced: 1956 (Tu-95), 1981 (Tu-95MS)
- Number Built: 88 Tu-95MS built between 1982 and 1992
- Length: 151 ft 7 in (46.2 m)
- Height: 39 ft 9 in (12.12 m)
- Wingspan: 164 ft 4 in (50.1 m)
- Weight:
- Empty: 198,416 lb (90,000 kg)
- Maximum Takeoff Weight: 414,469 lb (188,000 kg)
- Engines: Four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines (15,000 PS each)
- Top Speed: 572 mph (920 km/h)
- Range: 9,300 mi (15,000 km)
- Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,716 m)
- Loadout: Two 23mm cannons, Kh-55 cruise missiles
- Aircrew: 6-7
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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