Ukrainians shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber for the first time: the Main Intelligence Directorate showed a video
Date: 2024-04-19 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
Ukrainians for the first time destroyed a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber.
This was announced by the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Nikolai Oleshchuk. “For the first time, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, in cooperation with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, destroyed a long-range strategic bomber Tu-22M3,” he shared.
Oleshchuk added that this aircraft is a carrier of Kh-22 cruise missiles, which the enemy uses to attack peaceful cities in Ukraine. “During today’s attack, two such missiles were destroyed for the first time. Ukraine needs more funds, more missiles to better protect front-line territories from Russian terrorism,” the commander emphasized.
According to him, on the night of April 19, the Russian occupiers launched a combined attack with various types of missiles and attack drones. In total, the enemy used 36 air attack weapons - 22 missiles of various types and 14 attack drones:
- 2 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95 MS strategic aviation aircraft (Ryazan launch area - Russian Federation);
- 14 attack drones of the Shahed-131/136 type (from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk region, Kursk region - Russian Federation);
- 12 guided aircraft missiles X-59/X-69 (Kursk region and from the Azov Sea); 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles (from Crimea);
- 6 Kh-22 cruise missiles from Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bombers (from the Black and Azov Seas).
The commander noted that anti-aircraft missile forces of the Air Force, mobile fire groups and electronic warfare units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces were involved in repelling the enemy’s air attack.
According to him, as a result of the anti-aircraft battle, 29 air targets were destroyed: 2 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles; 14 attack drones of the Shahed-131/136 type; 11 guided aircraft missiles Kh-59/Kh-69; 2 X-22 cruise missiles.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense also commented on the destruction of the enemy aircraft and showed a fragment of a video of this operation. Intelligence reported that the Tu-22MZ bomber was shot down at a distance of about 300 kilometers from Ukraine by the same means that had previously hit the Russian A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft.
“Due to the defeat, the bomber was able to fly to the Stavropol area, where it fell and crashed. Note that this is the first successful destruction of a strategic bomber in the air during a combat mission during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense emphasized.
