Ukraine said it shot down a Russian strategic bomber in combat for the first time since Russia invaded, after the plane launched a missile strike that killed at least seven people.
The Tu-22M3, a Soviet-era design, was downed some 300 kilometers inside Russia, Ukraine¡¯s GUR military intelligence agency said on its website. Ukrainian authorities didn¡¯t specify which weapon brought down the plane. Russian news agencies said at least one of the pilots was killed and quoted the Defense Ministry as blaming a technical fault.
Losing the plane signals a new vulnerability for Russian President Vladimir Putin¡¯s military, which relies on Cold War-era bombers as the main tool in its missile campaign against Ukraine. The supersonic Tu-22 can launch strikes from deep within Russia, leaving it effectively untouchable for Ukraine¡¯s air defenses.
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