A Tupolev Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 military aircraft. A Tupolev Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 military aircraft fly over Red Square during a military parade, which marks the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow on June 24, 2020. PAVEL GOLOVKIN/POOL/AFP/Getty Images
A Russian Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber aircraft crashed in Siberia, killing the pilot, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The aircraft was conducting a scheduled flight when it crashed in Siberia's Irkutsk region, the ministry was cited by state-run news agency Tass as saying. The crash is believed to have been caused by a technical malfunction.
Why It Matters
Russia's air force has suffered extensive casualties throughout the war in Ukraine, and a large number of its losses have been self-inflicted.
General Christopher Cavoli, the head of the U.S. European Command, told American lawmakers that by April 2024, Russia had lost around 10 percent of its aircraft fleet since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What To Know
Four crew members on board the nuclear bomber ejected.
Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev said on his Telegram channel that the aircraft struck a power line when it crashed, meaning hundreds of local residents are without electricity.
Russia has used the Tu-22M3 aircraft to fire Kh-22 cruise missiles at Ukrainian territory, according to Ukraine's air force.
Both Russia and Ukraine have lost significant numbers of aircraft in the war. Dutch open-source intelligence defense analysis website Oryx has visually confirmed that 120 Russian planes have been destroyed and 17 damaged since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.
Oryx has also visually confirmed that 100 Ukrainian aircraft have been destroyed since the beginning of the war, with four damaged and one captured.
Kyiv's military said in an update on Thursday that Moscow had lost 370 aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Russia, like Ukraine, rarely divulges information on the number of casualties or equipment losses it has sustained in the war.
Last month, Moscow lost another fighter jet during a routine training mission when a Russian Su-25 crashed in Russia's Far East due to a technical malfunction. The pilot was able to eject and was rescued by a search and rescue team.
What People Are Saying
Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, cited by Tass: "The search and rescue team that arrived at the scene is evacuating the crew members to the base airfield. The plane crashed in an uninhabited area. There is no damage on the ground. According to preliminary data, the cause of the accident was a technical malfunction."
Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev said on Telegram: "A Tu-22M3 plane, performing a scheduled flight, crashed last night near the village of Buret in the Usolsky district. There were no damages to residential buildings and no casualties among the civilian population."
What Happens Next
Kobzev said local teams are working to restore power in the area.
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This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 2:34 AM.