Russian Tu-95 bomber crashes in Far East, six crew killed
A Tupolev Tu-95MS bomber crashed during a training flight in Russia's Amur region, killing six crew members and injuring one, the defence ministry said.
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.
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What we know
- A Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed in Russia's Amur region during a training flight on Tuesday.
- Six crew members were killed and one was injured and taken to hospital, the defence ministry said.
- The aircraft was unarmed and came down in an uninhabited area, Russian news agencies reported.
- The crash site, at the Ukrainka Air Group base, is more than 3,000 miles from Ukraine.
- The defence ministry corrected early reports that had identified the aircraft as a Tu-154.
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The Tu-95 is one of the long-range bombers Russia has used to launch missile strikes on Ukraine throughout the war. Pairs of the aircraft have also flown close to Britain, including a mission over the Barents and Norwegian Seas earlier this year that lasted more than seven hours, prompting NATO fighters to scramble and intercept them, the Daily Mirror reported.
Tuesday's crash removes one aircraft from an ageing fleet that still forms part of Russia's nuclear strike force, even though this particular bomber was unarmed and on a training flight when it went down, according to the defence ministry.
Sources
Reported by 7 reports from 7 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Daily Mirror: Nuclear-capable Russian warplane crashes in ball of fire with at least six dead
- Adnkronos: Russia, Russian military plane crashes during training flight, 6 dead
- TGCom24: Russia, aereo militare precipita durante l'addestramento: 6 morti
- Le Figaro: Russie : un bombardier stratégique s’écrase dans l’Extrême-Orient du pays, six membres d’équipage tués
- Sud Ouest: Russie : un bombardier stratégique Tu-95 s’écrase en Extrême-Orient, six membres d’équipage tués
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Confidence and impact scores, 2 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- What aircraft crashed in Russia's Far East?
- A Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in Russia's Amur region, the defence ministry said.
- How many people died in the crash?
- Six crew members were killed and one more was injured, according to Russian authorities.
- Was the bomber carrying weapons?
- No, the aircraft was unarmed and had been on a training flight, the defence ministry said.
This article was written with AI assistance from 7 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.