War of aggression in Ukraine
Russia loses supersonic bombers
Video still of a Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber of the Russian Air Force (archive image). According to Moscow, the plane crashed in the Stavropol region of southern Russia while returning from a combat mission. photo
© Uncredited/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP/dpa
Russian fighter jets fire missiles at Ukraine in a nighttime airstrike. But one plane does not return from mission.
The Russian Air Force has lost one of its Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic heavy bombers. While the Ministry of Defense in Moscow spoke of a crash that probably had technical causes, the Ukraine claimed this as a shoot down.
According to Moscow, the plane crashed in the Stavropol region of southern Russia while returning from a combat mission. The four-man crew saved themselves with the ejection seat. Three have been recovered and the fourth is being searched for. The plane had no ammunition on board.
Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers shared spectacular but unverified videos on social networks that purport to show the 42-meter-long long-range bomber spinning in the air with its engine burning. The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said that it was the first time that such an aircraft had been shot down with a missile. The information provided by both sides about the incident could not be independently verified.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used several Tu-22M3s in the combined missile and drone attack on Friday night. They fired six Ch-22 cruise missiles at Ukraine over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Two of these cruise missiles were intercepted. The specified crash site in the Stavropol region is about 600 kilometers as the crow flies behind the front.
According to Ukrainian information, Russia used a total of 22 rockets and cruise missiles of various types in the attack, 15 of which were shot down. All 14 attacking combat drones were also intercepted.