A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plane crashed on Monday in Siberia's Irkutsk region during a training flight, the Russian Defence Ministry said, but the aircraft's four-person crew had managed to safely eject.
Details of the Incident
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.
Unverified Footage
Unverified footage of the crash on social media showed a plane nose-diving into a thickly wooded area not far from the banks of the Angara river, producing a huge column of smoke.
—
'The crew ejected. There is no threat to the pilots' lives or health,' the Interfax news agency cited the Defence Ministry as saying.
