Update: 19/04/2024 07:18
Issued by: 19/04/2024, 07:18
Moscow – A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in the Stavropol region in southwestern Russia, returning to base after completing a combat mission, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported today, according to the Interfax agency. The destruction of the plane is claimed by the Ukrainian Air Force, according to its commander Mykola Oleschuk, the action was undertaken in cooperation with the HUR military intelligence.
“Units of the (Ukrainian) air force, in cooperation with military intelligence, for the first time destroyed a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber, used as a carrier of Ch-22 missiles, which Russian terrorists use to attack Ukrainian cities,” Oleshchuk said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier today that the bomber’s pilots had ejected. “Three crew members were evacuated by the search and rescue team. One pilot is being searched for,” the Ministry of Defense specified. According to Moscow, there was no ammunition on board the supersonic aircraft. The plane went down in a deserted area and there was no damage on the ground, the Ministry of Defense said, adding that the plane appeared to have crashed due to a “technical fault”.
