Things in general haven't been going well for Russia's military in the month of August, especially given the still unfolding cross-border incursion in Kursk, which has also recently seen reports of fresh fighting inside Russia's Belgorod.
Thursday marked another rarity in the conflict. A Russian long-range strategic bomber has crashed over the Siberian region of Irkutsk in what was described as a routine flight.
Russian state media was the first to report and confirm the crash, citing military officials. "The crew ejected. Their lives are not in danger," the defense ministry said. All four crew members managed to deploy their parachutes ejecting from the plane.
"The plane crashed in an uninhabited area. There is no damage on the ground," the military said, as cited in RIA Novosti news agency.
Identified as a nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 bomber, military officials say that the crash was due to technical malfunction.
Widely circulating videos reveal that the plane caught fire while in mid-air during either a nighttime or early dark morning hours flight...
🚨 BREAKING: A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, worth $40 million, has crashed in the Irkutsk region of Russia.
— Beats in Brief (@beatsinbrief) August 15, 2024
The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported that the crash was caused by a technical fault. The crew is said to have ejected safely. pic.twitter.com/Qcy6d0P40C
Videos also showed the jet burning on the ground after it crashed:
⚡️A fallen 🇷🇺Russian Tu-22M3 bomber is burning pic.twitter.com/AR0PxWLTRD
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) August 15, 2024
According to background of the Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic aircraft:
The Tu-22M3, which has the NATO codename "Backfire," is a "long-range supersonic missile carrier bomber," according to its manufacturer Tupolev's website.
The Soviet-era plane, made from alloys of aluminum, titanium, and magnesium, as well as "high-strength and heat-resistant steels," made its maiden flight in 1977, with the most up-to-date version entering service in 2018.
It is designed to take out sea- and ground-based targets using guided missiles and aerial bombs.
More footage shows a plummeting plane which is on fire in Russia's far east...
Reports that a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia tonight.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 15, 2024
Footage shows a plummeting plane, on fire, hitting the ground outside of Cheremkhovo. pic.twitter.com/yuN8aMCkca
This incident is not the first time Russia has lost a Tu-22m bomber in the course of the Ukraine war. Back in April, Ukraine claimed to have shot one down.
While Ukraine had said at the time its anti-missile units succeeded for the first time in shooting one down, the Kremlin countered that it had actually crashed as it returned to base, also citing a technical malfunction.
