Ukraine claims to shot down Russian Tu-22M3 Bombers for the first time causing it to crash in Russia’s Stavropol Territory.
On April 19, 2024, in the Stavropol Territory, a Tu-22M3 of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed due to an engine fire. The pilots ejected, but one of the four on board died.
According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) in a joint operation with the Air Force, Ukrainian forces shot down one of the Tu-22M3 bombers which launched Kh-22 missiles toward Ukraine.
The downed enemy aircraft, which hit approximately 300 kilometers from Ukraine, met the same fate as the previously targeted Russian A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) jet.
Despite the impact, the bomber managed to fly towards the Stavropol region before crashing.
This marks the first successful elimination of a Russian long-range bomber during an active sortie amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian defense ministry said the bomber crashed as it was returning from a mission in Ukraine “due to technical malfunction.” Locals in Stavropol posted videos of a burning plane falling.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, which posts estimates of Russia’s troop and equipment losses, said in an update on Friday that Moscow has lost 347 aircraft so far in the ongoing war.
