Kyiv reports Russian bomber downed near Ukrainian border

Ukrainian military intelligence has reported that a Russian bomber was downed approximately 300 km from Ukraine during a special operation conducted jointly with the Air Force. 

The bomber, involved in the missile attack against Ukraine on Friday, was intercepted and brought down, according to Ukrainian sources. The specific means utilized in the interception have not been disclosed by Ukrainian military intelligence.

Informed sources from the Ukrainska Pravda  suggest that the ES-300 long-range missile complex may have been employed in the interception, although this has not been officially confirmed. Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk reportedly informed the Main Intelligence Division of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine about the successful downing of the Russian strategic bomber.

The governor of Russia’s Stavropol region confirmed that one crew member of the Tu-22M3 bomber was killed, with the search ongoing for another. The Ministry of Defence of Russia acknowledged the incident, attributing it to possible technical issues. According to Governor Vladimir Vladimirov’s Telegram channel, one pilot was confirmed dead, while two others were hospitalized.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence of Russia stated that a Tu-22M3 bomber had crashed in an uninhabited area near Stavropol while returning from a “combat mission.” Preliminary investigations by Russian authorities suggest a technical malfunction as the likely cause of the crash.