A Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons and long-range cruise missiles crashed during a training flight in the country’s far eastern Amur region on Tuesday, killing six of the seven crew members aboard, Russia’s Defence Ministry said.
The aircraft came down in an uninhabited area near the village of Krasnoyarovo. One crew member survived and was taken to hospital with injuries, while the bomber was not carrying munitions during the training mission.
Caught on camera
Videos circulating online appeared to capture the final moments of the aircraft before it crashed and burst into flames. Initial reports had offered conflicting accounts of the type of military aircraft involved before the Russian Defence Ministry identified it as a Tu-95.
The Amur regional government said the crew had attempted to steer the aircraft away from residential buildings before it came down. No casualties on the ground were reported.
Cause under investigation
Russia’s Aerospace Forces sent a commission to the crash site to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident. While some Russian media and military-linked sources reported a possible fuel explosion or engine failure, authorities had not officially established the cause of the crash as of Tuesday night.
The aircraft reportedly crashed shortly after take-off. Emergency personnel were deployed to the site as flames engulfed the wreckage.
Key strategic bomber
Known by the NATO reporting name “Bear”, the Tu-95 is a Soviet-designed four-engine turboprop strategic bomber that remains an important component of Russia’s long-range aviation fleet.
Modern Tu-95MS variants can carry long-range cruise missiles and form part of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces. The aircraft have also been used by Russia to launch conventional cruise-missile attacks during the war in Ukraine.
The Tu-95 entered Soviet service in the 1950s, although the Tu-95MS variants currently operated by Russia were introduced decades later. Production has ended, leaving Russia dependent on its existing fleet and modernisation programmes.
Second bomber crash
Tuesday’s accident comes a little over three months after another Russian long-range bomber crashed during a training flight.
A Tu-22M3 went down in Siberia’s Irkutsk region in June while flying without a combat load. All four crew members managed to eject and survived, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
The latest accident, however, resulted in one of the deadliest recent incidents involving Russia’s strategic aviation fleet, with six crew members killed and the aircraft destroyed.