Ukraine "First Successful Shootdown of Russian Strategic Bomber"... What Is Russia's Response?

Ukrainian Military Intelligence: "Tu-22M3 Shot Down Successfully"
Russia: "It Crashed Due to Technical Malfunction Only"

Ukraine announced that it has shot down Russia's strategic bomber, the Tupolev supersonic bomber (Tu-22M3). Ukraine claims this is the first time since Russia's invasion.

The US Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the night of the 19th (local time) that Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) stated, "For the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have succeeded in destroying a strategic bomber in the air."

According to Serhiy Lysak, the administrator of the Dnipro region in eastern Ukraine, the downed aircraft bombed the Dnipro area, killing eight people. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that the bomber was equipped with Kh-22 cruise missiles.

Russian supersonic strategic bomber Tu-22M3 [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Tu-22M3 was introduced during the Soviet era in the 1970s. It has a top speed of Mach 1.88 and a range of 6,800 km, capable of carrying up to 24 tons of weapons including gravity bombs and missiles. The cost per unit is known to be approximately $125 million (about 172.5 billion KRW). NATO codenames this bomber as "Backfire."

Ukrainian officials stated that, similar to when they shot down a Russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft over the Sea of Azov earlier this year, they shot down the Tu-22M3 using a modified Soviet S-200 surface-to-air missile from a distance of 300 km. Related videos posted on social media (SNS) show the bomber spiraling down and its tail section engulfed in flames after crashing.

In August last year, Ukrainian special forces destroyed a Tu-22M3 located 590 km from the front lines. However, this is the first time it has been destroyed in the air. Ukraine has significantly extended the range of the S-200 missile through modifications.

Meanwhile, Russia acknowledged the crash of the supersonic bomber but denied Ukraine's claim that it was shot down. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated, "The Tu-22M3 crashed near Stavropol, Russia, due to a 'technical malfunction' while returning from a combat mission."

Vladimir Vladimirov, governor of Stavropol Krai, said, "One pilot died, two were injured, and one is missing due to the bomber crash," adding, "The aircraft was not carrying ammunition or weapons, and there was no damage to civilians or facilities in the crash area."