Serious accident in Siberia! Russian army loses valuable nuclear bomber

A Russian supersonic Tu-22M3 bomber has crashed in Siberia, killing the pilot, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Russian Air Force has suffered heavy losses during the war in Ukraine, with many of the losses being self-inflicted, Newsweek reported.

The plane that crashed on April 2 was on a scheduled flight when it crashed in the Irkutsk region in Siberia, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The crash is believed to have been caused by a technical malfunction. Four crew members on board the nuclear bomber ejected.

Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev said on his Telegram channel that the plane hit a power line when it crashed, leaving hundreds of local residents without power.

Russia "reassembling" Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 with Soviet-era parts

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday: "The search and rescue team that arrived at the scene evacuated the crew members to the base airfield.

The plane crashed in an uninhabited area. There was no damage on the ground. According to preliminary data, the cause of the incident was a technical malfunction.

The governor of the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev, reported on Telegram: "A Tu-22M3 aircraft, performing a regular flight, crashed last night near the village of Buret in the Usolsky district. There was no damage to residential buildings and no casualties among the civilian population".

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used Tu-22M3 aircraft to launch Kh-22 cruise missiles into Ukrainian territory.

General Christopher Cavoli, head of the US European Command, told US lawmakers that by April 2024 Russia has lost about 10% of its aircraft fleet since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Both Russia and Ukraine have lost significant numbers of aircraft in the war. The Dutch open-source defense intelligence analysis website Oryx has clearly confirmed that since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022. 120 Russian aircraft have been destroyed and 17 damaged.

Oryx has also visually confirmed that 100 Ukrainian aircraft have been destroyed, four damaged and one captured since the start of the war.

Kiev's military said in an update on Thursday (April 3) that Moscow has lost 370 aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Russia, like Ukraine, rarely discloses the number of casualties or equipment losses it has suffered in the war.

Last month, Moscow lost another fighter jet during a routine training mission when a Russian Su-25 crashed in the Russian Far East due to a technical fault. The pilot managed to eject and was rescued by a search and rescue team.