Six Killed as Russian Nuclear-Capable Tu-95 Bomber Crashes During Training Flight

Six crew members were killed and another person was injured after a Russian military aircraft crashed during a training flight in the country's far eastern Amur region.

The crash occurred on Tuesday, September 29, in an uninhabited area of the Amur region near Russia's border with China, according to the Russian Defence Ministry and state media.

The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-95, a long-range strategic bomber capable of carrying and launching nuclear weapons. The Russian state news agency TASS reported that the aircraft was not carrying any ammunition at the time of the accident.

Unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show heavy smoke rising from the wreckage at the crash site. The footage has not been independently verified.

Russia's Aerospace Forces have sent an investigation team to the site to determine what caused the crash. Authorities have not yet provided a detailed explanation of the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Soviet-Era Strategic Bomber

The Tu-95 was developed during the Soviet era. Its first test flight took place in 1952, and the aircraft entered military service in 1956.

The turboprop-powered strategic bomber was designed for long-range missions and is capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Despite its age, Russia continues to use the Tu-95 in military exercises and training operations.

The latest crash is not the first major aviation accident in Russia's Far East. In July last year, an aircraft crashed while travelling toward the city of Tynda during poor weather, killing all 48 people on board.

In August 2021, a Mil Mi-8 helicopter also crashed on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, killing 16 people, most of them tourists.

The investigation into Tuesday's crash is expected to determine why the Tu-95 went down during the training flight.