Ukrainian Armed Forces shoot down Russian Tu-22M3 aircraft firing missiles at Ukraine at night
19 April 2024 11:12
ВІДЕО
On 19 April, a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber-missile carrier crashed in Russia’s Stavropol Territory. This was reported by the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports.
As noted, this is one of the Tu-22M3s that fired missiles at Ukraine at night.
“Instant karma in action – the Tu-22M3 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which was firing missiles at night, crashed in the Stavropol Territory,”
– the statement reads.
The Army noted that the Russian pilots survived.
Ilya Yevlash, aspokesman for the UkrainianAir Force, told Radio Liber ty that this was a vendetta for the shelling of Ukrainian cities, in particular for the attack on Dnipro on 19 April.
“This is the first time that the Air Force, together with our partners, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, was able to shoot down a Tu-22M3 strategic aviation aircraft,”
– the speaker said.
He added that it was also the first time that two X-22 missiles fired by this bomber were shot down.
TheRussian Ministry of Defence has already officially stated that the cause of the accident was a “technical malfunction”. It also states that there was no ammunition on board, and the plane crashed in a deserted area.
“The aircraft crashed after completing a combat mission while returning to its home airfield. Preliminary, the cause of the accident was a technical malfunction. Three crew members evacuated, and the search for one pilot is ongoing. There was no ammunition on board the aircraft, no damage was done on the ground,”
– the statement said.
Russian social media outlets say that the plane was shot down by Russian air defence, confusing it with a UAV.
We would like to add that this is the first strategic aircraft shot down during the full-scale invasion.
