DRAMATIC footage captured the second Ukraine shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 nuke bomber sending it spiralling to the bottom.
The £228 million plane was a part of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear strike pressure – and the assault is seen as a serious blow to the dictator.
It crashed over the Stavropol area – some 250miles from the border – in southern Russia after finishing a bombing assault on Ukraine.
The Tu-22M3 strategic bomber was shot down by a S-200 anti-aircraft missile system, stated Channel 2, citing sources in Ukraine’s GUR navy intelligence company.
The GUR stated: “Because of the harm, the bomber was capable of fly to the Stavropol area, the place it fell and crashed.
“It must be famous that that is the primary profitable destruction of a strategic bomber within the air throughout fight throughout the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
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All 4 crew members have been reported to have ejected from the stricken aircraft.
They have been stated by Russian sources to be “alive” and have been rushed to hospital.
Whereas some studies recommend that the aircraft’s commander was killed within the crash, Moscow strongly denies he died.
Governor Vladimir Vladimirov stated: “Two pilots from the aircraft that crashed within the Krasnogvardeisky district have been discovered.
“They’re alive, we’re taking them to the hospital. All companies went to the scene.”
Russia strongly denies the warplane was shot down.
Putin’s defence ministry claimed a “technical malfunction” was the possible reason for the downing whereas admitting the aircraft was getting back from a bombing mission over Ukraine.
The Russian defence ministry stated: “A Russian Air Pressure’s Tu-22M3 crashed within the Stavropol area after performing a fight mission whereas returning to its dwelling airfield.
“The pilots ejected, three crew members have been evacuated by a search and rescue staff, and a seek for one pilot is underway.
“There was no ammunition on board, the plane went down in a abandoned space.
“There isn’t a harm on the bottom.
“In keeping with preliminary knowledge, the reason for the accident was a technical malfunction.”
AIRFIELD BLITZ
It comes simply days after Ukraine launched a blistering assault on one in every of Putin’s key navy airfields in occupied Crimea.
Dramatic footage exhibits blinding explosions erupting in a single day as Kyiv’s forces destroyed precious ammunition shops within the blitz.
Ukraine launched its in a single day ambush above Dzhankoi airfield in northern Crimea.
The navy base – a key hub for Russia – is utilized by Putin’s twisted forces to launch strikes on Ukraine.
Ukraine used US-made ATACMS long-range missiles within the pinpoint strike.
A few of Putin’s valued choppers are stored at Dzhankoi together with Russian S-300 and S-400 missile techniques.
Simply weeks in the past, one other Russian airbase dwelling to Putin’s prized £130m supersonic Blackjack bombers was attacked by Ukrainian drones.
At the very least 4 explosions rocked the high-security Engels-2 air base within the Saratov area in a single day.
The air base, in southwestern Russia, is dwelling to Russia’s Blackjack bombers, also referred to as Tupolev Tu-160.
They’re Russian supersonic variable-sweep wing strategic missile-carrying bombers courting from the Soviet period.
Together with the Tu-95MS bombers, these planes are the mainstay of Russia’s long-range aviation.