A Russian strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons crashed during a training flight in the country's far eastern Amur region on Tuesday, killing at least six of its seven crew members, Russia's Defence Ministry said.
The ministry, cited by Russian state media, said the Tu-95 aircraft went down in an uninhabited area of the Amur region, which borders China. One crew member survived the crash and was taken to hospital with injuries, the ministry added.
No weapons aboard, investigation under way
The bomber was not carrying ammunition or weapons during the training mission, the state-run TASS news agency reported, citing the ministry. An Aerospace Forces commission has been dispatched to the crash site to establish the circumstances of the incident, Interfax quoted the military as saying. No official cause had been announced.
The regional administration said the aircraft crashed near the village of Krasnoyarovo on the Zeya River, not far from the Chinese border. It said the pilots "did all they could to steer the plane away from residential buildings," and no casualties on the ground were reported.
A Cold War workhorse
The Tupolev Tu-95, known to NATO as the "Bear," is a large four-engine turboprop strategic bomber that first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956. It remains a core part of Russia's long-range aviation fleet and has been widely used to launch conventionally armed cruise missiles at Ukraine during the more than four-year war.
Some Tu-95s were destroyed or damaged in Ukraine's "Spiderweb" drone operation in June 2025, which struck several Russian air bases hosting long-range bombers. This is not the first fatal aviation accident in Russia's Far East: in July last year, an Antonov An-24 passenger plane crashed in poor weather on its way to the town of Tynda, killing all 48 people on board.
Sources:
- Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bomber plane crashes, killing six people (Al Jazeera)
- A Russian Long-Range Bomber Crashes During Training, Killing 6 Crew Members (ETV Bharat/AP)
The ministry, cited by Russian state media, said the Tu-95 aircraft went down in an uninhabited area of the Amur region, which borders China. One crew member survived the crash and was taken to hospital with injuries, the ministry added.
No weapons aboard, investigation under way
The bomber was not carrying ammunition or weapons during the training mission, the state-run TASS news agency reported, citing the ministry. An Aerospace Forces commission has been dispatched to the crash site to establish the circumstances of the incident, Interfax quoted the military as saying. No official cause had been announced.
The regional administration said the aircraft crashed near the village of Krasnoyarovo on the Zeya River, not far from the Chinese border. It said the pilots "did all they could to steer the plane away from residential buildings," and no casualties on the ground were reported.
A Cold War workhorse
The Tupolev Tu-95, known to NATO as the "Bear," is a large four-engine turboprop strategic bomber that first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956. It remains a core part of Russia's long-range aviation fleet and has been widely used to launch conventionally armed cruise missiles at Ukraine during the more than four-year war.
Some Tu-95s were destroyed or damaged in Ukraine's "Spiderweb" drone operation in June 2025, which struck several Russian air bases hosting long-range bombers. This is not the first fatal aviation accident in Russia's Far East: in July last year, an Antonov An-24 passenger plane crashed in poor weather on its way to the town of Tynda, killing all 48 people on board.
Sources:
- Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bomber plane crashes, killing six people (Al Jazeera)
- A Russian Long-Range Bomber Crashes During Training, Killing 6 Crew Members (ETV Bharat/AP)
