Russian Bomber Tu-22M3 Nosedives, Crashes During Training Exercise In Siberia | Video

Last Updated:June 16, 2026, 08:15 IST

The Defence Ministry said all four crew members safely ejected from the aircraft before impact.

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in Siberia’s Irkutsk region on Monday, the Russian Defence Ministry said, adding that the aircraft’s four-person crew had managed to safely eject.

Videos shared by Russian media outlets and unverified footage circulating on social media appeared to show the bomber nosediving into a wooded area near the Angara River before crashing and sending a thick column of smoke into the air.

However, News18 does not verify the authenticity of the video.

The Defence Ministry said all four crew members safely ejected from the aircraft before impact. The pilots were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and officials said there was no threat to their lives or health.

Authorities confirmed that the aircraft was not carrying any combat load at the time of the crash and that no damage was reported on the ground. Fire crews were deployed to extinguish a blaze at the crash site.

“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 Governor Igor Kobzev said emergency services were working at the scene and that an investigation into the incident had been launched. Kobzev said that preliminary information indicated engine failure as the likely cause of the crash.

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.

A modernised version of the original Tu-22 plane, the Tu-22M3 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.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre...Read More

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