Defence Intelligence of Ukraine: Tu-22M3 was shot down by Ukrainian air defense

19 April, 2024 A Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in the Russian Federation. April 19, 2024. Footage from social media

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said that on the morning of April 19, Ukrainian air defense had shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bomber. This is one of the Russian planes that launched a missile attack on Ukrainian territory on Friday. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine published a video of the combat work of the crew of the SAM that hit the Russian bomber.

It is noted that this was a joint operation of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine with the Ukrainian Air Force. "The Russian Tu-22M3 bomber was shot down at a distance of about 300 kilometers from Ukraine using the same means that had previously hit the Russian A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft," the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said.

After being shot down, the bomber was able to fly to the Stavropol Krai, where it crashed in one of the districts. This is the first successful mid-air destruction of a Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bomber during a combat mission during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Militarnyi reported that on the morning of Friday, April 19, a Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bomber had crashed in Russia after an attack on Ukraine.

The bomber crashed in a field in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Stavropol Krai. The published video of eyewitnesses shows the aircraft burning and falling to the ground in a flat spin. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the cause of the accident was allegedly a technical malfunction, but this information requires verification.

Russia said the crew had ejected from a Tu-22M3. Two pilots were found alive and hospitalized.

Another was found dead, and the fourth crew member is still being searched for. Tu-22M3 is a long-range supersonic bomber designed to engage ground and surface targets. The aircraft can carry three Kh-22 long-range supersonic missiles.

Russia has repeatedly used such aircraft in the war with Ukraine.