Armed with missiles, 18 Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers are currently stationed near Ukraine, according to monitors.

Armed with missiles: there are currently 18 Tu-95MS and Tu-160 near Ukraine, according to monitors.

Russian aircraft are flying near Ukraine, which are being used for shelling.

This is reported by 24 Kanal citing monitoring channels.

The monitoring channels state that no Tu-160 has made a flight to the "Engels-2" airfield, let alone to the "Olenya" airbase.

However, the monitoring channels reported that on the evening of February 8, starting from 20:00, 2 Tu-160 aircraft conducted training exercises within the Saratov region.

Since the last update from the "Engels-2" airbase, 3 Tu-95MS have arrived for reloading X-101 missiles.

At 19:34, the takeoff of 1 Tu-95MS from "Engels-2" was noted, which is relocating to the "Olenya" airbase.

Therefore, as of February 9, at least 6 Tu-95MS aircraft armed with X-101 are known to be at "Olenya".

The total number of Tu-95MS and Tu-160 near Ukraine as of February 8 was 18 units.

Russia uses Tu-95 for massive strikes against Ukraine. These attacks often target critical and energy infrastructure. The enemy has not used strategic aviation for mass strikes for quite some time.

It is important to note that Russia does not follow any logic regarding the timing of shelling. In fact, it can strike any day.

Recently, Ukrainian warriors from the 28th OMBr shot down a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft in the Toretsk direction. This marks the second Su-25 downed by this brigade, with the first being shot down on August 28, 2024, in the Kramatorsk direction. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost 370 aircraft and 331 helicopters.

The Su-25 is a Soviet single-seat armored subsonic attack aircraft. Its main task is to provide air support in combat zones both day and night under visual conditions, as well as to destroy targets at specified coordinates in suitable weather. Its targets can include ground and surface objects, as well as low-altitude slow-moving aerial targets.