Russian nuclear-capable Tu-95 crashes in Far East, killing six crew members

A Russian military plane crashed in the far eastern region of Amur on Tuesday, killing six crew members and leaving another injured, the Russian defence ministry said.

The Russian defence ministry said the military aircraft went down in an uninhabited area during a training flight and was not carrying ammunition.

"According to preliminary data, six crew members died, while one was injured and evacuated to a medical facility," the ministry added.

According to the Russian state-affiliated media, the crash occurred near the village of Krasnoyarovo shortly after the bomber took off from the Ukrainka air base.

Authorities have opened a criminal case and an investigative commission from Russia's Aerospace Forces has been flown to the crash site. Initial assessments suggest the aircraft went down because of a technical malfunction.

Unverified videos posted on social media showed what appeared to be flames and smoke rising from the crash site, with booming and crackling sounds in the background.

The Tu-95 is a large, nuclear-capable bomber designed in the Soviet Union, first flown in 1952. It is the only turboprop-powered strategic bomber still in operational use.

The Ukrainka air base — one of Russia's largest strategic long-range bases — is located in the Seryshevo district of the Amur region, in the country's Far East.

In June 2025, it was among the targets of a major operation by Ukraine's security service SBU against Russian military airfields codenamed Spiderweb.

In Operation Spiderweb, FPV drones concealed in lorries with remotely opening roofs were used to destroy or damage more than 40 Russian aircraft, including between seven and eight Tu-95s.

Russia redeployed the surviving strategic bombers from its European air bases to Ukrainka.