When Russia stole Kazakhstan’s 40 bombers—and got Ukraine’s in a gas debt deal

In a major blow to Russia’s airpower, Ukraine recently claimed it damaged or destroyed more than 40 Russian warplanes in coordinated drone and missile strikes deep inside Russian territory, including bases in the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East—more than 7,000 kilometers from Ukraine’s borders. Among the aircraft hit were strategic assets like the Tu-95, Tu-22M bombers, and the A-50 early warning plane, used to guide missile attacks and coordinate battlefield intelligence.

Ukraine's security services estimate the damage could cost Russia up to $7 billion. But what’s especially striking is that many of these bombers, especially the Tu-95MS models, were never built by post-Soviet Russia—but allegedly stolen from Kazakhstan in the early 1990s.

A Cold War Relic Reappears

As reported by united24media earlier, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, its vast military arsenal was scattered across newly independent states. Kazakhstan, to its surprise, inherited the world's largest fleet of Tu-95MS strategic bombers—40 in total, including 27 long-range cruise missile-capable MS-16s and 13 MS-6s.

At that time, Russia’s own Tu-95MS fleet was smaller—just 22 to 27 aircraft—and the production line had shut down. The final Tu-95MS bomber had rolled off the assembly line in early 1992, leaving Russia unable to manufacture replacements.

The Great Swap (or Theft)

Seizing the opportunity, Russia quietly exploited Kazakhstan’s inexperience and lingering Soviet-era military cooperation to reclaim the aircraft—without official permission.

In early 1992, Russian and Kazakh bomber crews continued joint exercises. During one such period, Tu-95MS bombers flown from Kazakhstan to Russian bases, such as Ukrainka in the Far East, were never returned. Instead, Russia allegedly sent back older Tu-95K models—or, in some cases, sent nothing at all.

Whether through deliberate swap-outs or simply refusing to return Kazakhstan's bombers, Moscow ended up with dozens of strategic aircraft that weren’t theirs. While Russian sources claim only 16–18 Tu-95MS aircraft were taken in early 1992, no clear records exist for the rest—raising questions about how many were quietly absorbed into Russia's fleet.

Ukraine’s Unusual Deal

In another post-Soviet twist, Ukraine also ended up trading part of its inherited bomber fleet to Russia. In 1999, Ukraine struck a deal to settle its gas debt by transferring bombers and cruise missiles to Moscow.

At the time, Ukraine had inherited a sizeable arsenal of strategic weapons but lacked the funds to maintain or fuel them. Russia, on the other hand, saw value in reclaiming these long-range platforms for its own strategic forces.

Strategic Theft with Strategic Impact

Russia’s current long-range bomber fleet—used regularly to strike Ukrainian infrastructure—owes its existence not to new production or arms treaties, but to post-Soviet opportunism, deception, and quiet deals. Kazakhstan never received accountability or compensation for the Tu-95MS bombers it lost, and the fate of the older models returned in their place remains uncertain.

What began as quiet reshuffling of military hardware in the early '90s now echoes in today's battlefield realities—where those very same aircraft are still in active use, or, as of now, burning wreckage on Russian tarmacs.