Russian Nuke Bomber Nosedives into Siberian Ground – Video
Videos circulating on social media appear to show a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plunging nose-first into a forested area in Siberia before crashing and erupting into a massive plume of smoke.
Russian authorities later confirmed that a Tu-22M3 bomber crashed Monday during a training flight in the Irkutsk region. All four crew members survived after ejecting from the aircraft.
“The crew ejected. There is no threat to the pilots’ lives or health,” the Interfax news agency cited the Defense Ministry as saying. “There is no damage on the ground. The aircraft was flying without a combat load.”
Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev said the aircraft came down near the village of Kamenka. Fire crews were dispatched to extinguish a blaze at the site, and all four crew members were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Kobzev said preliminary information indicated engine failure may have caused the crash.
The aircraft involved was a Tu-22M3, a Soviet-designed long-range supersonic bomber known by NATO as the Backfire-C. Developed for nuclear strike and maritime attack missions, the aircraft has been used in combat operations in Syria and Ukraine. It is capable of carrying long-range cruise missiles, including the Kh-22, as well as the air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal missile.
Russian officials have not released additional details about the crash, and an investigation is underway.
