UK Defence Intelligence: Russia Lost a Tu-95, Su-35 and Su-34 in One Week

Russia lost three tactical and strategic aircraft in the space of a week, all of them types used in strike campaigns against Ukraine, according to the latest Defence Intelligence update published by the UK Ministry of Defence on its official X account on 16 October.

Tu-95 lost on training flight

According to the assessment, on 29 September a Tu-95MS Bear H of Russia’s Long Range Aviation crashed shortly after take-off on a training flight in eastern Russia after suffering multiple engine failures. UK Defence Intelligence described the turboprop bomber as a workhorse of the fleet, used extensively to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine, and said heavy use had almost certainly created a significant maintenance burden.

Drone strike on Khanskaya airbase

On 4 October, a Ukrainian one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicle strike destroyed a Su-35S Flanker M multirole fighter, a Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber and a munitions depot at Khanskaya airbase in southern Russia, the update said. Commercial satellite imagery from the same day showed two destroyed fighter aircraft, a cratered parking apron and taxiway, one destroyed building and two damaged munitions depots.

Why the Su-34 matters

The UK assessment noted that Su-34s are used in daily operations to launch glide bombs at Ukrainian positions and towns. These weapons, fitted with wing and guidance kits, allow Russian aircraft to strike from outside the range of many Ukrainian air defences, so each lost airframe reduces that capability.

Mounting losses

UK Defence Intelligence said Russia has lost more than 100 fighter aircraft in the conflict since February 2022. Russia does not publish its own loss figures, and the claims could not be independently verified. The UK publishes regular intelligence updates on the war, saying they are intended to inform the public about developments on the battlefield.

Featured image: Doomych / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons