A somber historical photo has surfaced online: exactly 19 years ago (January 27, 2006), Ukraine destroyed its last long-range bomber, the Tu-22M3, as it was said, for the sake of peace on the planet. This was reported by Kontrakty.UA.
TSN.ua inquired with an expert whether military personnel remember this sad fact and how the presence of such bombers could have aided us during the war with Russia.
Careless Approach
Military expert Igor Romanenko notes that while he is not a pilot, he served in related forces – the Air Defense Forces. The destruction of the last bomber was met with sadness and an awareness of the obvious and sharp decline in our military potential by all military personnel at the time.
"At different times, I led a brigade, a regiment, and military units that were armed with missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. I understood well how necessary and important both missiles and long-range strategic bombers are; they are powerful weapons. Unfortunately, back then, a careless approach prevailed regarding this topic from our country's higher political leadership, while the military understood well what Ukraine was losing with the destruction of such aircraft. Sadly, the political leadership did not consider the current situation or the data from our intelligence, which informed about the importance of the aircraft that were being taken away from Ukraine for destruction," Igor Romanenko, a military expert, retired lieutenant general, and former deputy chief of the General Staff (2006-2010), tells TSN.ua. We watched in horror as the planes were destroyed.
The lieutenant general recalls how he personally had to send nuclear warheads to Russia, adding that this was done with great sadness and concern.
"We were responsible for these nuclear warheads and handed them over personally under signature. Each had a separate log, and we monitored their storage and condition until the moment of transfer. I know pilot colleagues who watched in horror as strategic bombers were destroyed. We were simply taking away and destroying extremely powerful weapons. What’s saddest is that we were told at the time that all of this was being done 'for the sake of peace.' Now all Ukrainians have seen what this has truly meant for Ukraine. I think we must acknowledge that such actions were a terrible mistake by our political leadership at that moment," Igor Romanenko recounts.
By the way, this happened in Poltava.
Here are unique footage of the already cut-up Ukrainian long-range bomber.
Pressure from Partners and Russia
The expert adds that at that time, there was a strong sense of pressure and a certain push towards the destruction of powerful weapons from our allies, especially from Russia, which at that moment did not seem like such an obvious enemy, although our intelligence repeatedly reported on the Russians' ambitions regarding the seizure of Ukraine.
"Based on this bitter experience, we need to recognize the importance of reforms in the military that we urgently need to implement, and for the future, we must definitely take into account this negative experience and the horrific consequences after we handed over this weapon to Russia or cut it up for scrap metal. We must not repeat such mistakes but rather enhance our military potential," emphasizes the military expert.
If the Tu-22M3 Had Remained Ukrainian
We asked the lieutenant general how having at least one Tu-22M3 in our arsenal would change the situation at the front today.
The expert explains that we had many hopes for the F-16 fighters. However, our allies provided them with a year’s delay. As a result, we received an outdated and cheap version with aviation armament that can only perform air defense functions, while striking "air-to-ground" with guided aviation bombs is something F-16s cannot do.
"If we had the Tu-22M3, we could effectively destroy the capabilities of Russian forces, for example, in their use of missiles and guided aviation bombs. This bomber can carry, albeit outdated, hypersonic X-22 missiles. They are very difficult to destroy. And we handed over both bombers and these missiles to the Russians. If we had these bombers in our arsenal, we could strike, which would significantly improve the situation at the front. Unfortunately, the enemy is actively using guided aviation bombs in the east right now, and we cannot effectively protect our infantry from them. That’s why the Russians continue their offensive for the second year now," sums up Igor Romanenko.
Earlier, TSN.ua reported when French Mirage fighters will arrive in Ukraine: an aviation expert gave an encouraging response.
The destruction of the last Ukrainian bomber Tu-22M3 / Photo: Anatoly Ulytsky, "Evening Poltava"