See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:37 BST, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 17:05 BST, 15 June 2026
A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plane crashed on Monday in Siberia's Irkutsk region during a training flight, in the latest blow to Putin's military.The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the incident, adding that the aircraft's four-person crew had managed to safely eject.The Tu-22, which can carry hypersonic 'Kinzhal' missiles and is code named 'Backfire' by NATO, is a Soviet-era supersonic bomber that Russia has since used for combat missions in Syria and Ukraine.Unverified footage of the crash on social media showed a plane nose-diving into a thickly wooded area not far from the banks of the Angara river, producing a huge column of smoke.'The crew ejected. There is no threat to the pilots' lives or health,' the Interfax news agency cited the Defence Ministry as saying. 'There is no damage on the ground. The aircraft was flying without a combat load.'Irkutsk's governor, Igor Kobzev, said in a statement that the plane had crashed near the village of Kamenka.He said that firefighters were working to extinguish a blaze, and that the plane's four crew members had been taken to hospital. Unverified footage of the crash on social media showed a plane nose-diving into a thickly wooded area Irkutsk's governor, Igor Kobzev, said in a statement that the plane had crashed near the village of Kamenka The crash produced a huge column of smoke The Tu-22M3, a modernised version of the original Tu-22 plane, can deliver Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen) air-launched cruise missiles as well as the air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal 'Dagger' missiles, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.They have been used in the war in Ukraine and fly 'show of strength' missions to highlight Russia's readiness for war.Putin's fleet of Tu-22 bombers is ageing rapidly, with the aircraft now at least 33 years old after production of the Soviet-era planes ended in 1993. Some of those still in service are believed to be as much as 45 years old.Last year, another Tu-22M3 also crashed in the same area of Siberia. The crash in April 2025, close to the tiny village of Buret, caused a power outage in the area with the fire and smoke from the wreck visible from other nearby villages.Footage taken from before the crash appears to show the Tu-22M3 strategic missile carrier cruising above the skies of Siberia at a low altitude.A second clip reportedly shows the aftermath of the incident with a large blaze burning in the distance.According to local media, the four man crew on board the plane ejected but one pilot died.Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev said the pilot had steered the plane away from a residential area before it crashed. 'According to preliminary data, the pilots steered the Tu-22M3 away from residential buildings during the fall,' he said.'A deep bow to the high-class professionals and words of condolence to the relatives and friends of the deceased pilot. The family will certainly be provided assistance.'
