Ukraine said on Friday (April 19) that its military had shot down a Russian strategic bomber. Before that, the aircraft had participated in a long-range air raid in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk, resulting in 8 deaths, including two children.
In the early morning, missiles rained down on the city of Dnipropetrovsk and surrounding areas, destroying residential buildings and the main train station. Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Serhiy Lysak, said that 3 people were killed in the city of Dnipro, including a man extracted from the rubble of a five-story building, while 5 others died in the nearby areas of the oblast.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that among the victims were a 14-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range air raids on Ukraine’s power supply system and other targets, increasing pressure on the frontlines and hinterlands. Meanwhile, Russian forces have been advancing slowly in the east.
Russia denied targeting civilians, claiming that the power grid was a legitimate target. However, hundreds of civilians have died in the air raids.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Intelligence Agency, stated that after the Tu-22M3 bomber launched an attack, the Ukrainian military shot it down from a distance of over 300 kilometers.
Budanov said, “I can only say that the aircraft was hit from a distance of 308 kilometers, quite far away.”
He added that the way they shot down the aircraft was the same as how they had previously downed a Russian A-50 early this year.
An intelligence source told Reuters that the aircraft was hit by a modified S-200 system. The S-200 is a long-range Soviet-era surface-to-air missile system.
Unconfirmed social media footage showed a fighter jet with its tail on fire spiraling towards the ground.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that a bomber crashed in the Stavropol border region while returning to base after a combat mission. Of the four crew members on board, two were rescued, one died, and one went missing.
However, Russia claimed that the preliminary assessment indicated technical failure as the cause of the crash.
Ukrainian President Zelensky inspected the site of the attack in Dnipro and called for allied countries to promptly provide air defense weapons. As military aid from Western countries slows down, Ukraine’s stockpile of air defense weapons is rapidly diminishing.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they shot down 15 incoming missiles on Thursday night, including two Kh-22 cruise missiles and 14 drones.
Zelensky mentioned that on Friday afternoon, more Russian missiles struck the Black Sea port of Pivdennyi in southern Odessa Oblast, destroying food storage facilities and supplies.
(This article is based on relevant reports from Reuters)