Russian Tu-95 bomber crashes in Far East, six crew killed
A Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in Russia's Amur region, killing six crew members, Russian authorities said.
Update ·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
A Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in the Amur region of Russia's Far East on Tuesday, killing six crew members, Russian authorities said. The aircraft came down in an uninhabited area, the defence ministry said, according to Sud Ouest, which cited Russian news agencies.
One further crew member was injured and taken to hospital, the defence ministry said. The plane was unarmed and had been on a training flight when it crashed, the ministry said. Investigators have travelled to the crash site to establish the circumstances of the accident, Sud Ouest reported. Some early reports had said two crew members survived, before the defence ministry's figure of six dead and one injured became the confirmed toll, the Daily Mirror reported.
The aircraft belonged to Russia's Ukrainka Air Group, based at an airbase in the Seryshevsky district of Amur region, the Daily Mirror reported. The base is home to the 6952nd Guards Sevastopol-Berlin Red Banner Air Base, which operates Tu-95MS bombers. The crash site is more than 3,000 miles from Ukraine.
Early reports mistakenly identified the aircraft as a Tu-154 before the defence ministry confirmed it was a Tu-95MS, the Daily Mirror said. Photos and video from the scene showed wreckage burning in a large fireball. The cause of the crash has not been confirmed.
The Tu-95, known by NATO as the "Bear", first flew about 70 years ago and remains the world's only propeller-powered strategic bomber still in service, the Daily Mirror reported. It has an unrefuelled range of about 9,300 miles depending on payload, and is a mainstay of Russia's long-range nuclear strike force.
What we know
- A Russian Tu-95MS bomber crashed during a training flight in the Amur region on Tuesday, killing six crew members.
- One further crew member was injured and hospitalised, Russia's defence ministry said.
- The unarmed aircraft belonged to the Ukrainka Air Group, based in Amur region's Seryshevsky district.
- Investigators have gone to the crash site; the cause has not been established.
Why it matters for Europe
The Tu-95MS is one of Russia's main nuclear-capable strategic bombers and has repeatedly been used to launch missile strikes on Ukraine, and its crews have flown the aircraft on long-range missions that NATO fighters have scrambled to intercept, including one lasting more than seven hours over the Barents and Norwegian Seas in May. A fatal crash involving one of these Soviet-era aircraft, first flown some 70 years ago, draws attention to the age of the fleet Russia continues to rely on for its long-range strike force.
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Updated with new reports from our sources.
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Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
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Questions and answers
- What aircraft crashed in Russia?
- A Tu-95MS strategic bomber, a Soviet-era nuclear-capable aircraft, crashed during a training flight in Russia's Amur region.
- How many people died in the crash?
- Six crew members were killed and one more was injured and hospitalised, Russia's defence ministry said.
- What caused the crash?
- The cause has not been confirmed; investigators have travelled to the crash site to establish what happened.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.