Ukrainian drone that smashed TU-95 bomber is based on a smuggled UAV China refused to sell

A Tupolev Tu-95 captured flying over Moscow.

• A Ukrainian drone strike in western Russia took out a TU-95 bomber while the craft was parked on the tarmac
• The drone technology used in the attack is based on the Chinese ZTK-150 UAV
• Ukraine’s MICH 2000s were built when China stopped selling its UAVs, adapted for use in the war with Russia

Ukrainian drones recently made a successful attack on a fleet of Russian military aircraft at an airstrip in western Russia, but while the TU-95 bomber and others were put out of action, the origins of the drones have raised eyebrows. The attack drones might have appeared to be Chinese ZTK-150s, but China has refused to sell the UAVs since 2023.