The crew managed to eject before impact; the aircraft was not carrying a combat payload, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed on Monday, June 15, 2026, in the Irkutsk region of Siberia during a training flight. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, the crew managed to eject before the aircraft went down.
According to information released by Russian authorities, the aircraft was not carrying a combat payload at the time of the accident. Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said the crash occurred near the village of Kamenka, and that the four crew members were taken to hospital with no life-threatening injuries.
Images circulating on social media show the aircraft rapidly losing altitude before hitting a wooded area, causing a large column of smoke. Emergency teams were mobilized to contain the fire at the site. The official cause is still to be investigated, but preliminary information points to a possible engine failure.
The Tu-22M3, known by NATO under the codename Backfire, is a long-range supersonic bomber developed during the Soviet period and still operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces. The aircraft is used in long-range strike missions and can employ air-launched cruise missiles, such as the Kh-22.
The accident comes at a time of heightened attention on Russian strategic aviation, which continues to be used in training, patrol and show-of-force missions. Although Moscow treats this type of flight as scheduled activity, the loss of an aircraft of this size represents another setback for an aging bomber fleet with high operational value.
Footage of the Tu-22M3 crash from a close distance.
It is assumed that the cause of the crash was an engine failure, after which the missile carrier, capable of carrying nuclear bombs, lost control and fell into the forest.
The crew managed to eject. https://t.co/a2HZ1T158N pic.twitter.com/Si8Lv6UCvZ— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 15, 2026
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Source and images: Russian Ministry of Defense | X @visegrad24. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
