The Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber was shot down by the Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GUR) of the Ministry of Defense in cooperation with the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, GUR said. The agency showed a video of the air defense calculation that attacked the plane.
It is indicated that this bomber launched Kh-22 cruise missiles over Ukraine on the night of April 19. It was targeted at a distance of about 300 kilometers from Ukraine with the same "means" used to shoot down one of the A-50 long-range radar detection planes.
The Tu-22M3 tried to fly to Stavropol, but crashed. Russian media reports that one crew member died, two were hospitalized, and another is being sought. This is confirmed by the governor of the Stavropol Territory.
The spokesman of the Air Force of Ukraine Ilya Yevlash called it "a vendetta for attacking peaceful cities." He also specified that the air defense forces for the first time shot down two Kh-22 missiles, which were launched by this bomber.
“Of course itʼs a combo. Today is a rainy day in the Russian propaganda media. I think they will be very, very unhappy there today. Everything happens for the first time. We shot down the Dagger [missile] for the first time, we shot down the Zircon [missile] for the first time. Now the Tu-22 was shot down for the first time. Well, we are now waiting for the Tu-95," he said on Radio Svoboda.
- On the night of April 19, Russia launched a massive missile-drone attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region and. In Dnipro, two people died, 20 were injured. A five-story building, infrastructure facilities at the station were damaged. In the city of Synelnikove, 6 residents died, including two children. 6 people were injured. Private houses were damaged. 3 people were injured in the Kryvorizky district. The infrastructure facility was damaged. An enterprise was damaged in Pavlograd. The prosecutorʼs office reports the death of the injured child, but does not specify where she is from.
- The Air Force later reported that the Russians launched 14 Shahed attack drones and 22 missiles of various types. Air defense shot down 29 targets out of 36. Also, for the first time in the history of the Russian war against Ukraine, the Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber was shot down.