Russia just accidentally crashed its first Tu-95 bomber in 11 years. Its missiles will keep striking Ukraine anyway

A Russian Tu-95 bomber crashed during takeoff in Russia's Far East on Tuesday, marking the first such incident for the aircraft type in 11 years. The plane, stationed at the Ukrainka air base in Russia's Far East, was participating in a training flight without any munitions when the mishap occurred, as reported by the Russian defense ministry.

The crash, though accidental, signifies a loss for Russia as replacing bombers lost in combat is challenging given the scarcity of new aircraft and the aging nature of the existing fleet. Despite this setback, Russia still possesses sufficient bombers to continue conducting missile raids on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine's strategy must focus on countering these missile attacks by shooting down incoming missiles rather than targeting bombers directly, as destroying them is impractical due to the aircraft's limited availability and heavy maintenance requirements.