Tu-95 and Tu-160 - US F-16 Pilot Checks Out Russian Warplanes - Kyiv Post

Russia launches missile strikes on Ukraine militqry targets every week. In total, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia has fired more than 8,000 missiles at Ukraine over the past 2.5 years. A third of them — more than 3,000 — are Kh-101 and Kh-55/Kh-555 cruise missiles, launched from strategic bomber aircraft, the Tu-95 and Tu-160, developed in the Soviet era.
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Interestingly, such aircraft were once in service in Ukraine, but the country chose not to use them because it is not an aggressive state, and maintaining them was too expensive. However, some of these bombers remain in Ukraine as museum exhibits.
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The Kyiv Post goes to Poltava to see what Russia is using to bomb Ukraine. We’re not going alone — joining us is former US Air Force pilot Christopher Stewart, who has logged several thousand flight hours on the F-16.