Ukraine announced Friday that, for the first time since the Russian invasion, it shot down a Russian long-range bomber used to fire cruise missiles at cities across the war-torn country.
“For the first time, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force in cooperation with Ukrainian defense intelligence destroyed a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber,” the Ukrainian military said. He said In a statement on social media.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that a “technical malfunction” caused the plane to crash.
Russian officials He said The plane crashed over the southern Stavropol region when it was on its way back to its base, and at least one crew member was injured. He died.
State news agency RIA Novosti reported that two other pilots were taken to hospital and searches were still underway for the fourth pilot. mentionedciting the Ministry of Defence.
Footage circulating on social media shows the suicide bomber spinning and landing on the ground with a fire near his tail.
Stavropol is a region located in Russia's North Caucasus, to the east of the annexed Crimean peninsula, which has witnessed multiple attacks throughout the two-year war.
The governor said the plane crashed in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Stavropol region, about 400 kilometers from the eastern tip of the Crimean peninsula.
Shooting down a Russian bomber used to fire cruise missiles into Ukraine would be a highly symbolic victory for Kiev, which has been hit by hundreds of Russian air strikes overnight since the invasion of Moscow more than two years ago.
Agence France-Presse contributed reporting.
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