Ukraine claimed on Friday that it had shot down a Russian strategic bomber. However, Moscow officials said the plane malfunctioned and crashed in a sparsely populated area after a combat mission.

According to Ukrainian reports, the Air Force and military intelligence cooperated to shoot down the Tu-22M3 bomber with an anti-aircraft missile.

Russia typically uses the aircraft to target Ukrainian targets from within its airspace. The aircraft is also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Regarding Ukraine’s claims, the Russian Defense Ministry said the fighter jet crashed in a “deserted area” in Russia’s southern Stavropol region.

Three crew members were rescued after ejecting from the plane and the search for the fourth crew member is ongoing, according to the ministry.

One of the rescued pilots later died, the Associated Press reported.

The Russian air force is much more powerful than the Ukrainian air force, but advanced missile systems supplied by Kiev’s Western partners pose a significant threat to Russian aviation as Kremlin forces slowly advance along a roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) frontline that has become An important part of the Russian Air Force.A brutal war of attrition

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