Moscow: As the Russia-Ukraine war reaches a critical point after two years, Ukraine’s air force on Friday claimed to shoot down a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber with anti-aircraft missiles. However, Russian officials said the plane crashed into a sparsely populated area due to a malfunction after a combat mission, and none of the claims have been independently verified.
Previous Ukrainian claims of shooting down Russian warplanes during their more than two-year war have met with silence or denials from Moscow. Ukraine claimed that its air force and military intelligence cooperated to bring down the Tu-22M3 bomber with anti-aircraft missiles. The bomber is frequently used by Russia to fire Kh-22 cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets, and it can also carry nuclear warheads.
