Russia has lost nearly 10% of its strategic Tu-22M bombers.

The American magazine Forbes conducted an analysis of the losses of the Russian aviation and found significant damage in Russia's strategic bomber fleet.

According to the publication, Russia had about 60 Tu-22M bombers before the full-scale invasion. However, five of these aircraft have been decommissioned: one crashed, one was shot down, and two were destroyed or severely damaged due to attacks by Ukrainian drones.

Particularly noteworthy is the state of the Engels airbase, which has been subjected to many strikes and has seen a significant loss of cruise missiles. According to Forbes experts, the lost missiles are worth nearly 1 billion dollars.

Another aviation expert, Bill Sweetman, noted the unsatisfactory technical condition of the bombers, most of which were designed back in the 1960s. 'Nothing is quite as interesting as flying with an ancient missile containing about 4 tons of hypergolic fuel,' said the specialist.

Despite the losses, Forbes notes that they have almost no impact on Russia's military capabilities. They still have enough Tu-22M bombers, as well as other types like Tu-95 and Tu-160, to continue attacks on Ukraine in the near future.

Analysis

According to the analysis published in Forbes magazine, the Russian aviation has suffered significant losses in its strategic bomber fleet. Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia had 60 Tu-22M bombers. However, the losses have severely undermined their potential. In total, five aircraft have been removed from service - one took off in flight, one was shot down, and two were destroyed or seriously damaged as a result of attacks by Ukrainian drones. A special problem was the Engels airbase, where a significant number of cruise missiles were destroyed and damages amounting to nearly 1 billion dollars were incurred. Experts note that the technical condition of the Tu-22M bombers is critical, as most of them were designed back in the 1960s. Despite this, Russia still has enough Tu-22M bombers, as well as other types of aircraft, to continue its attacks.