On Monday, June 15th, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed during a routine training flight in the Irkutsk region of Russia.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the aircraft was not carrying any ammunition. A commission from the highest command of the Russian military is currently conducting work at the crash site.
Reports from TASS mentioned that the crew members safely ejected and there were no casualties on the ground.
As per information from the Russian public broadcaster Mash, the pilot of the Tu-22M3 has been in contact with the outside world; the crew survived the crash in the Irkutsk region.
It was reported that the pilot maintained control of the aircraft until it was away from residential areas. The plane ultimately crashed in a field and caught fire.
Adding to this, Mash stated that the Soviet-era long-range bomber crashed in the Svirsk district, along the banks of the Angara River.
Currently, thick smoke is billowing from the crash site.
According to open-source intelligence analysts, Russia has lost 11 Tu-22M3 bombers since 2022. Of these, 8 were destroyed and 3 were damaged.