Accessibility links

Breaking News

Russian Heavy Bomber Crash-Lands In Murmansk Region, Killing Two Crew


Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bombers drop bombs at an unknown location in Syria in 2015.
Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bombers drop bombs at an unknown location in Syria in 2015.

A Russian long-range bomber has crash-landed in the Arctic, killing two of its crew of four, the Defense Ministry said on January 22.

The Tu-22M3 bomber crashed while landing in a blizzard after a routine training flight in the Murmansk region north of the Arctic Circle, the ministry's press service said, adding that two crew members were killed while two others were hospitalized.

The bomber wasn't carrying weapons, according to the ministry's statement, which was carried by Russian news agencies.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

The Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying the crash occurred near the Olenya military base, an airfield of Russia's Long-Range Aviation on the Kola Peninsula.

The Tu-22M3 is a twin-engine supersonic heavy bomber built in the 1980s.

The Russian Air Force has used the Tu-22M3 in its campaign in Syria.

Based on reporting by AP, Interfax, and TASS

XS
SM
MD
LG