Video captured the Tu-22M3’s steep descent moments before the crash in the Irkutsk region, and Russian officials reported the crew ejected safely.
The Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) crashed on June 15, 2026. Videos circulating on social media showed the aircraft entering a steep dive before disappearing behind a hill and crashing.
Thick black smoke billowed immediately after the explosion, and follow-up footage showed burning wreckage at the crash site and in an open field. Some accounts confirmed the location of the branch in the Svirsk district of the Irkutsk region.
In particular, the Irkutsk region is home to the Belaya Air Base, one of the main operational locations of Russia’s Tu-22M3 fleet and home to the 200th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment. The base was one of the bases targeted during Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb drone strikes in June 2025.
Additional footage of the nose of a Russian Tu-22M3 heavy bomber diving into the ground in Irkutsk this evening. pic.twitter.com/Ie0wIxUtzN
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 15, 2026
A post on a Kremlin-linked Russian Telegram channel cited witnesses and a statement from Russia’s Ministry of Defense (RuMoD) that the pilots ejected from the aircraft and survived. The incident occurred during a planned training flight, said a post on the Russian TG channel citing RuMoD.
The aircraft’s attitude during the crash may suggest that a technical malfunction may have occurred at a significant altitude. This would have given the crew ample time to maneuver the aircraft in an uninhabited area before beginning evacuation procedures.
Video of the crash site of the Russian Tu-22M3 bomber. https://t.co/4lnFDUp0pZ pic.twitter.com/agQxbqVPy2
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 15, 2026
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Tu-22 and Russian bomber fleet
The Tu-22M3 (NATO reporting name Backfire-C) is the most advanced variant of the Tu-22, first flown in 1977 and deployed in the 1980s. Known upgrades were improved NK-25 engines and improved “navigation/attack” systems on the Almaz PNA.
The Tu-22M3 is one of the RuAF’s three main strategic bombers, the other two being the Tu-160 and Tu-95. According to the last count World Air Force 2026 The report, which crunched the numbers until December 2025, said Russia operated 57 airframes, with the recent crashes pushing that figure to 56 now.
A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber stationed at the Irkutsk Belaya Air Base crashed and was completely destroyed.
There is currently no word on what caused the crash or the condition of the crew. During a previous spiderweb attack, Ukrainian drones attacked an air force base… pic.twitter.com/uSMC8CPsTh
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) June 15, 2026
This incident follows several recent Tu-22M3 accidents, including crashes reported in 2024 and 2025, and highlights ongoing concerns about the operational readiness and maintenance burden of the aging fleet. Indeed, despite efforts to extend the service life of aircraft through modernization programs, the average lifespan of aircraft is now over 30 years.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Tu-22M3 bombers have been regularly used to launch Kh-22 and Kh-32 long-range missiles at targets throughout Ukraine. The aircraft’s ability to conduct standoff strikes in Russian airspace has made it one of the key components of Russia’s long-range strike capabilities.
The Tu-22M3 fleet suffered both combat and non-combat losses during the conflict. In April 2024, Ukraine claimed responsibility for the downing of a Tu-22M3 over Russia’s Stavropol region using a modified S-200 anti-aircraft missile.
Operation Spiderweb in June 2025 saw at least four Tu-22M3s targeted by Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drones at Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk, with Ukrainian officials claiming the bombers were completely destroyed. Other aircraft targeted in the operation included at least one A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, seven Tu-95s and an An-12.
— Visioner (@visionergeo) June 15, 2026
Tu-22M3s carrying Kh-32/Kh-22 air-launched cruise missiles are frequently intercepted by NATO and the Swedish Air Force over the Baltic Sea. For more information on these blocks, see previous reports here, here, and here.
according to military balance 2025 report International Strategic Research Institute (IISS), the Tu-22M3 is operated by four units of the RuAF: the 40th Mixed Aviation Regiment at Olenya Air Base; the 200th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment within the 326th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division at Belaya Air Base, Irkutsk Oblast; the 43rd Center for Long-Range Aircrew Combat Applications and Training in Dyagilevo, Ryazan Oblast; 52nd Heavy Bomber Regiment within the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division in Shaykovka, Kaluga Oblast.
