Russian Strategic Bomber Chief Reportedly Shot in Engels, Home to Tu-95 and Tu-160 Fleet

A Russian Aerospace Forces officer was shot in the torso and face by a gunman on a motorcycle near Engels, home to one of Russia’s most important strategic bomber bases, Russian media outlet Mash reported on September 3.

The shooting took place in the settlement of Probuzhdenie near Engels in Russia’s Saratov region.

According to Mash, the assailant approached a private house on a motorcycle while wearing a helmet and opened fire on the officer.

One bullet struck the officer in the torso, and another hit him in the face, leaving him seriously wounded.

The officer’s driver was also injured in the shooting but managed to escape and hide. He later returned to the scene and called an ambulance, according to the report.

According to preliminary unconfirmed information, the shooter might have hit Russian Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Long-Range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Doctors subsequently removed the bullets from the officer. He was reported to be in serious condition and was being prepared for transfer to Moscow aboard a specialized medical aircraft.

The location is particularly notable because Engels hosts a major base for Russia’s strategic aviation.

Varpakhovich’s command has also been directly linked to one of Russia’s most notorious missile strikes on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Security Service says that on July 8, 2024, Varpakhovich issued the combat order for a Kh-101 cruise missile strike carried out by aircraft from the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division. One of the missiles hit Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital during a massive Russian barrage across Ukraine.

The European Union has also formally identified Varpakhovich as commander of the Engels-2-based division responsible for the Kh-101 strike on Okhmatdyt and sanctioned him over his role in actions supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

His division operates the long-range bombers that Russia has repeatedly used to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Engels-2 has long been associated with Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers, aircraft Moscow uses to launch long-range cruise missiles against Ukraine.

Read more

Category

War in Ukraine

Ukraine Keeps Eating Into Russia’s Irreplaceable Tu-95 Fleet—12 Bombers Now Lost or Damaged

Aug 31, 2026 13:40

The Tu-95MS remains one of Russia’s principal air-launched cruise missile carriers. Although the aircraft is based on a Soviet-era design, part of the fleet has undergone modernization to the Tu-95MSM standard.

The upgrade introduced new engines, navigation and avionics equipment, an updated defensive suite and the ability to carry as many as eight Kh-101 or Kh-102 cruise missiles on external pylons.

According to estimates cited by Ukrainian defense analysts, Russia’s fleet as of 2024 consisted of approximately 31 Tu-95MS aircraft and another 27 upgraded Tu-95MSM bombers.

The aircraft are particularly difficult for Russia to replace. Production ended in 1992, meaning losses or severe damage permanently reduce a fleet built more than three decades ago.

Tu-160 strategic bombers have also operated from Engels and are used as long-range missile carriers in Russia’s military.

Previously, Ukraine’s Security Service struck a Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber at Engels, home to a key base for Moscow’s long-range aviation fleet used to launch cruise missile attacks against Ukraine.

Protect Ukrainian Skies

Subscribe to Sky Defense