Syrskyi announces downing of russian Tu-22M3 bomber by Ukrainian drone

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, says that a Ukrainian drone caused the crash of the Tu-22M3 strategic bomber. The aircraft, capable of launching cruise missiles, was destroyed.

He said this in an interview with Lb.ua.

"It had just landed and our drone hit it. The cost is about USD 100 million," Syrskyi said.

The Commander-in-Chief does not specify when and where the plane was hit. In recent weeks, the General Staff has not reported the destruction of long-range aircraft of the russian federation. However, on April 2, an incident occurred with a Tu-22M3 bomber in the Irkutsk Oblast. The Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country stated that the plane crashed during a scheduled flight, allegedly due to a technical malfunction.

As a result of the crash, the bomber pilot was killed, and the crew allegedly managed to eject.

However, the russian Defense Ministry announced that the plane had crashed, while the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief spoke about the drone strike when the plane had already landed.

As a reminder, the Tu-22M3 is a long-range strategic bomber capable of supersonic speed and has a variable-sweep wing. The aircraft can launch Kh-22 missiles at targets in Ukraine.