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Ukraine claims to have been the first to shoot down a Russian Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber in war.
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The plane was hit in the Russian region of Stavropol.
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The bomber was on its way to attack Ukraine, the air force said.
Ukraine has shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv’s military intelligence said.
In a statement released early Friday, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) said it had disabled one of the long-range strategic bombers that “launched a missile attack on Ukraine on the night of April 19.”
The operation was coordinated with the Ukrainian Air Force. The plane that Ukraine and its Western allies say Russia has often used to bomb was hit in southern Russia, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Ukraine.
“For the first time, the anti-aircraft missiles of the Air Force, in cooperation with the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, destroyed a strategic long-range bomber Tu-22M3 – the carrier of Kh-22 cruise missiles, which the Russian terrorists used. to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities,” Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a statement.
The Tu-22M3 is designed to attack ground and sea targets with guided missiles and bombs. The NATO reporting name for it is Backfire.
A video circulating on social media shows a burning Tu-22M3 falling from the sky before hitting the ground.
Business Insider could not independently verify when and where the footage was shot.
It would be the first time that Ukraine has managed to destroy a Russian strategic bomber since the start of the large-scale invasion of Russia.
On the night of April 19, 2024, Russia launched a combined missile and UAV attack on Ukraine.
As a result of a special operation, the anti-aircraft missile units in cooperation with the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine destroyed the Tu-22M3 for the first time… pic.twitter.com/9sVpXDqnqY
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 19, 2024
Before the GUR statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that a Tu-22M3 aircraft crashed in a “deserted area” due to a “technical malfunction,” according to Russian state media.
According to Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov, the plane crashed in the Krasnogvardeysky district of the region. Vladimirov claimed that two pilots successfully ejected from the plane. A third pilot was killed and a fourth is currently missing.
Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that a second Russian plane was forced to return to base after the first was shot down.
“It means that no new series of missiles have been launched at Ukraine,” Yusov said.
The Tu-22M3 has been a major target for Ukrainian air defense. Russian forces use Tu-22M3, often armed with AS-4 heavy anti-ship or Kh-22 cruise missiles, in air strikes on Ukraine. In 2022, Russia used the Tu-22M3 to bomb the besieged city of Mariupol, according to The National Interest.
In August last year, Ukraine’s top spy Kyrylo Budanov said that Russia’s Tu-22M3 fleet consists of 27 serviceable aircraft, according to intelligence estimates.
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