Ukrainian debt deal fuels Russian air assaults 25 years later
Russian bombers Tu-95MS and Tu-160, which are utilised in attacks on Ukraine, once belonged to the very nation they are now targeting. Twenty-five years ago, Ukraine handed these machines over to Russia in exchange for the cancellation of a portion of its debts. Alongside the aircraft, Russia also received engines and Kh-55 missiles.
According to an analysis of documents signed by Russia and Ukraine in 1999, some of the aircraft employed in the Russian assaults were transferred to Russia by Ukraine itself. This revelation, uncovered by the Ukrainian editorial team of Radio Svoboda and the Ukrainian investigative journalism project Schemes, is reported by Defence 24.
The interstate agreement made 25 years prior involved the transfer of Ukrainian Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers to Russia, along with engines and spare parts, as well as air munitions in the form of Kh-55 cruise missiles. One of these missiles, absent a warhead, landed in Poland near Bydgoszcz in December 2022.
Both the aircraft mentioned and the transferred missiles were used a quarter of a century later in assaults on Ukraine. Former Ukrainian aircraft were involved in, among other operations, the attack on the Kyiv Ochmatdyt children's hospital.
The price Russia paid for the strategic bombers was the cancellation of Ukraine's debts for gas supplies.
Overvalued aircraft for debt cancellation
Radio Svoboda verified the data from the documents by examining publicly available photographs of both the aircraft and their crews. In this manner, the Tu-95MS bomber, which previously flew as a Ukrainian aircraft with the number "8" on its fuselage, was identified and is currently known as "Izbrosk" under Russian control.
Following the transfer, these aircraft were utilised by Russia, among other things, for raids in Syria, as well as for diplomatic engagements abroad, such as a flight to Venezuela. They are currently used to attack Ukraine.
In total, Ukraine transferred to Russia 11 bombers, 575 missiles, and 11 turboprop engines for the Tu-95. The parts handed over in 1999 occupied 124 rail wagons.
According to Radio Svoboda's findings, the transferred weaponry resulted in the cancellation of Ukrainian gas debts valued at approximately £220 million. The aircraft and missiles were transferred without ratification by the Ukrainian parliament at an undervalued price – their market value at that time was roughly £2.0 billion.
