A Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber crashed on Tuesday in the Amur region of Russia's Far East, killing six crew members and injuring a seventh, according to the Russian defence ministry. The ministry said the aircraft went down in an uninhabited area during a training flight and was not carrying ammunition. One crew member was evacuated to a medical facility.
Russian state-affiliated media reported that the crash occurred near the village of Krasnoyarovo shortly after the aircraft took off from the Ukrainka air base, one of Russia's largest long-range strategic bases, in the Seryshevo district. Authorities have opened a criminal case, and an investigative commission from the Aerospace Forces has been flown to the site. Initial assessments point to a technical malfunction, though Brazilian coverage noted that the cause has not been officially established. Unverified videos on social media showed flames and smoke at the site. A surveillance-camera clip circulated by a local channel, Exilenova, appears to show the aircraft descending slowly, as if trying to land. It looks plausible and consistent with local geography, but it has not been independently geolocated.
The crash happened roughly 6,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, and Kyiv has not claimed any involvement. Nothing in the available reporting suggests enemy action.
The Tu-95 is a Soviet-designed, nuclear-capable bomber that first flew in 1952 and remains the only turboprop-powered strategic bomber in operational use. The modernised Tu-95MS version is a mainstay of Russia's strategic aviation and a main launch platform for Kh-101 cruise missiles fired at Ukraine. The bombers can launch from within Russian airspace, which keeps them clear of Ukrainian air defences.
That importance has made the aircraft a priority target for Ukraine. In June 2025, Ukraine's security service, the SBU, carried out Operation Spiderweb, using FPV drones hidden in lorries with remotely opening roofs to strike airfields across Russia. More than 40 aircraft were reportedly destroyed or damaged, including seven to eight Tu-95s. Ukrainka was among the bases hit, and Russia later moved surviving bombers there from its European bases. Last month, Ukraine said it had destroyed another Tu-95 in a drone attack on the Engels-2 base in European Russia.
The losses matter because the fleet is limited. Before the war Russia operated about 60 Tu-95s, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which counted 51 in its latest assessment earlier this year. The monitoring site Oryx has recorded 11 losses confirmed by imagery. Any further attrition, whether from combat or accidents, affects a force that is hard to replace.