Ukraine Warns of Imminent Russian Strike After Tu-95 Bombers Depart

Ukraine’s Air Force said multiple Russian Tu-95MS long-range bombers took off from Olenya Air Base in Russia’s Murmansk region on the evening of Aug. 18, signalling what Kyiv described as a high probability of a large-scale missile strike in the coming hours. Ukrainian and independent monitoring channels tracked at least three Tu-95MS aircraft, and noted additional activity involving Tu-160 bombers. While Russia’s Defence Ministry earlier said Tu-95MS crews had completed a routine patrol over the Barents Sea, the latest departures have put Ukrainian air-defence forces on heightened alert. No missile launches had been reported as of late Monday night.