The Tu-95MS and Tu-160 were handed over for a $275 million debt: investigators named the politicians responsible for this decision.

Ukraine handed over ten strategic bombers TU-95 and TU-160 to Russia, which are now being used to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainians during the full-scale war. These bombers were transferred to Russia in violation of the Constitution, despite an agreement signed at the prime ministerial level between both countries. Investigators from the "Schemes" project of the "Radio Liberty" agency reported on the losses of $2.5 billion and the reasons behind the loss of the aircraft in their findings.

The journalists revealed that they utilized the aircraft numbers from the agreement, which they found in archives, information about international flights, and data from Ukrainian intelligence regarding the tail numbers of Russian planes launching missiles at Ukraine. They determined that the TU-95MS and TU-160 used for the strikes were indeed the ones voluntarily transferred by Ukrainians in the 1990s and 2000s. The rationale behind the transfer was the write-off of $275 million of Ukraine's debt for Russian gas, as explained in the investigation. Former President Leonid Kuchma told "Schemes" that there was nothing dubious about the decision, as Russia was not acting as an aggressor at that time, and all Western countries were in contact with it. However, in the end, Ukraine faced losses amounting to $2.5 billion, as the value of the transferred aircraft and missiles was drastically reduced, journalists reported.

How the TU-95MS and TU-160 Were Transferred to Russia

The investigation indicated that the agreement for the transfer of strategic bombers was signed by then-Prime Minister Valeriy Pustovoytenko and then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. According to the Constitution, the agreement was supposed to be approved by the Verkhovna Rada. However, the planes were sent to Russia without this approval from the Rada. "Schemes" identified the names of the top officials involved in the loss of Ukrainian TU-95MS and TU-160:

• Head of the SBU Leonid Derkach (father of Andriy Derkach, suspected of treason) — agreed to the transfer of the aircraft;
• Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk — signed the documents;
• Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk — assessed the value of the aircraft;
• Deputy Justice Minister Leonid Yefimenko — agreed to the agreement;
• Minister for Emergency Situations Viktor Baloga — approved the sale of the assets;
• Head of the reorganization commission from the Ministry of Economy Valeriy Muntiyan — consented to the sale of the assets;
• Acting Head of the Ministry of Justice Inna Emelyanova — signed off on the non-identification of corruption factors.

Strikes on Ukraine by Ukrainian TU-95MS and TU-160

Journalists listed the aircraft lost by Ukraine and specified the attacks by the Russian Armed Forces in which they were involved after February 22, 2022:

1. TU-95MS "Izborsk" (formerly tail number 8) — during a strike on the residential complex "Tiras" in Odesa in 2022 (eight people died, including a pregnant woman and a three-month-old baby);
2. TU-95 "Krasnoyarsk";
3. TU-95 "Sevastopol";
4. TU-160 "Nikolai Kuznetsov" (number 10) — during a strike on "Okhmatdyt" in the summer of 2024;
5. TU-160 "Vasiliy Senko" (number 11) — during a strike on Kyiv in April 2022 (journalist Vera Girich was killed);
6. TU-160 "Vladimir Sudets" (number 15) — for strikes on Syria;
7. TU-160 "Andrey Tupolev" (number 18);
8. TU-160 "Igor Sikorsky" (number 22);
9. TU-160 "Alexey Plokhov" (number 16);
10. TU-160 "Alexander Novikov" (number 12).

A temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada conducted an investigation into the "undermining of the country's defense capability from 2004 to 2017," reported "Schemes." The commission's report noted that the sum of $275 million, which was the assessed value of the aircraft, missiles, and other equipment handed over to Russia in exchange for debt forgiveness, was ten times lower than it should have been.

"The state of Ukraine has suffered damage amounting to more than $2.5 billion based on the prices at the date of the relevant agreement," the lawmakers wrote in the report.

It is worth noting that on November 17, 2024, the Russian Armed Forces used TU-160 and TU-95 bombers to strike Ukraine, as reported by the Air Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During the shelling, the Russians launched 120 missiles of various types at Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated.

Recall that on November 21, Russia struck Dnipro with a ballistic missile. President Vladimir Putin reported that the Russians used the "Oreshnik" missile: what is known about it.