A Ukrainian drone destroyed a landed Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bomber a "few days ago," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with the LB.UA outlet published on April 9.
"A few days ago, our successful operations destroyed a Tu-22M3 bomber plane. Just as it landed, it was hit by our drone," Syrskyi said in the interview when discussing the impact of Ukraine's long-range drone strikes.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim.
The Tu-22M3, a supersonic bomber developed by the Soviet Union worth around $100 million, remains a key component of Russia's Air Force and has been used in strikes against Ukraine.
The commander-in-chief did not specify the exact location or date of the strike, and Kyiv and Moscow did not report any Russian fixed-wing aircraft as destroyed in hostilities this month. The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces had destroyed 370 Russian warplanes as of April 9.
Russian authorities said on April 2 that a Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in the Siberian Irkutsk region due to an alleged technical malfunction. The pilot was killed in the crash, while four other crew members were forced to eject.
Irkutsk Oblast lies almost 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from the border with Ukraine, far beyond the range of any known Ukrainian long-range weaponry.
Last year, Ukrainian forces shot down a Tu-22M3 bomber, bringing it down in Stavropol Krai. Other aircraft of the same model were damaged in July 2024 attacks against the Olenya airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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