- Russia appointed Yuri Ambrosimov as head of Tupolev after court cases and lawsuits linked to missed military and civilian aircraft contracts, according to Defense Express.
- Delivery delays of Tu-160M bombers, Tu-22M3M upgrades, and Tu-214 aircraft highlight ongoing production shortfalls at Russia’s strategic aviation manufacturer.
Russia has replaced the leadership of its strategic aircraft manufacturer Tupolev, appointing 37-year-old Yuri Ambrosimov as chief executive to replace 76-year-old Aleksandr Bobryshev, according to a report by Defense Express citing Russian industry sources.
The personnel change took place roughly one year after the previous round of management rotations at Tupolev in 2024 and comes amid mounting legal and financial disputes between the company and the Russian Ministry of Defense over unfulfilled defense contracts. Ambrosimov previously served as deputy managing director for economics and finance before being elevated to the top post.
Tupolev is the manufacturer of Russia’s strategic bombers, including the Tu-22M3, Tu-160, and Tu-95MS, and also produces Tu-214 airliners that Russian sources have discussed as potential dual-use platforms. The company’s main production base is the Kazan Aircraft Plant, where Tu-214 aircraft are built, Tu-160M bombers are assembled from Soviet-era airframes under the reproduction program, and Tu-22M3 bombers are upgraded to the Tu-22M3M standard.
Defense Express reported that the leadership change followed accumulated complaints from the Russian Ministry of Defense over the failure to deliver contracted work. In May 2025, the Moscow Arbitration Court ruled in favor of the ministry and ordered Tupolev to pay 3 billion rubles under a lawsuit filed in the summer of 2024. In June 2025, the ministry filed an additional lawsuit for 0.9 billion rubles related to further unmet obligations.
According to the same report, these claims are believed to be linked to uncompleted maintenance or upgrade work on strategic aircraft. Open-source data indicates that a single Tu-160M bomber costs about 15–16 billion rubles, while repairs or modernization of a Tu-95MS range from 3.77 to 5.3 billion rubles per aircraft depending on the facility. The combined 3.9 billion rubles in court claims would cover, at most, the overhaul of one Tu-95MS.
Delays in aircraft deliveries have also affected key Russian strategic aviation programs. Defense Express noted that Russia’s Ministry of Defense was scheduled to receive four Tu-160M bombers in 2025 that had been rolled out at Kazan between 2022 and 2023. Only two of those aircraft were transferred to the Russian armed forces in early 2026, with the reasons for the delay not publicly disclosed.
The Tu-22M3M modernization program has also progressed slowly. Only two aircraft have been upgraded under the program, one in 2018 and another in 2023, despite earlier statements from plant management about plans to modernize up to 30 long-range bombers.
Civil aircraft production has faced similar problems. According to Defense Express, Tupolev planned to deliver three Tu-214 airliners in 2023 but delivered none. In 2024, the plan called for ten aircraft, but only one was delivered. These delays have led to additional lawsuits from commercial customers, including a 6.2-billion-ruble claim filed by the Russian company Tatneft for undelivered aircraft.
The Tu-214 program has drawn attention because the aircraft is produced at the same facility as Russia’s strategic bombers. Russian commentators have previously called for the airliner to be adapted as a “mobilization missile carrier” capable of carrying Kh-101 or Kh-22 cruise missiles, making the program relevant to military production capacity even when listed as civilian output.
Defense Express wrote that the recurring management reshuffles at Tupolev suggest that Russian authorities recognize problems in technological capability and production capacity within the country’s aviation sector and are attempting to address them through leadership changes at key defense enterprises.