Photo: Screenshot from the video
A Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Russia’s Irkutsk region on Monday, June 15. The incident was first reported by Russian Telegram channels and was later confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to TASS.
The ministry said the aircraft was conducting a scheduled training flight and crashed while approaching for landing. According to the statement, the crew managed to eject safely.
“There is no threat to the lives or health of the pilots. There was no damage on the ground. The aircraft was flying without ammunition,” the ministry said.
According to the Telegram channel Baza, the bomber crashed near the town of Svirsk on the banks of the Angara River.
The outlet ASTRA suggested that the Tu-22M3 may have been flying from the Belaya military airbase, which was one of the targets of Operation Spiderweb in June last year.
According to ASTRA, the Belaya airbase is located about 30 kilometers from the crash site near the village of Kamyanka. The base hosts several long-range bombers, including Tu-22M3 aircraft.
