Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Russia may have lost more than 70% of its combat-ready Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers. According to Ukraine’s Defense Express, Moscow entered the war with roughly 33 to 41 mission-capable Backfires from a larger nominal fleet. Today, after 24 airframes were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, Russia may retain only nine fully operational aircraft.

The losses follow a consistent pattern of Ukrainian success. Drones struck deep inside Russia at the Dyagilevo, Soltsy, Olenya, and Belaya airbases. During June 2025’s Operation Spiderweb, Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed or heavily damaged a dozen Tu-22M3s in one coordinated campaign, while satellite imagery confirmed significant damage at several more locations. A Ukrainian S-200 missile shot down one bomber over Russia’s Stavropol region in April 2024. Three more aircraft were lost in training crashes in Russia’s Irkutsk region, most recently on June 15. Russia has built no new Tu-22 variants since 1993 and now faces acute spare-parts shortages, turning even minor damage into permanent losses.