According to foreign media reports, this Friday, a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed while performing a mission. According to the report, the crash site is located in the western border region of Russia, not too far from Ukraine. After such a big guy crashed, Russia and Ukraine immediately fought, and both sides had their say. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the cause of the crash was a mechanical failure, and there were 4 people on board, three of whom have been rescued, and a pilot is in the process of search and rescue. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that the crashed Tu-22M3 was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile of the Ukrainian army, and it was also the first Tu-22M3 shot down by the Ukrainian army since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict more than two years ago.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Oreshchuk, gave more detailed information, and he posted on social media that the Tu-22M3 was locked by the Ukrainian air defense forces after the air raid on Ukrainian cities. Subsequently, the air defense forces of the Ukrainian army worked closely with the Ukrainian intelligence services and successfully shot down the Tu-22M3. Oreshchuk said that the Tu-22M3 was previously equipped with Kh-22 cruise missiles and had launched several air strikes on Ukrainian cities. The Russian side said that it was caused by a mechanical failure, and the Ukrainian side said that it was hit by their air defense missile, so who is more credible of these two statements? To be honest, judging from a video circulating in the media, the author is more inclined to this Tu-22M3, which was hit by an air defense missile. Judging from the video, before the crash, the engine of the Tu-22M3 had caught fire and showed a spiral of rapid decline.
This picture, no matter how you look at it, looks like it was hit by an anti-aircraft missile. And the crash site is not far from Ukraine, combined with these two pieces of news, the probability of this Tu-22M3 being hit by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile seems to be a little greater. And at present, the Ukrainian army's air defense combat capability is indeed not weak, in the previous battles, the Russian Aerospace Forces' Su-35 fighters, Su-34 fighter-bombers and A-50 airborne early warning aircraft and other main fighters have a record of being shot down by Ukrainian air defense missiles. So to say that the Tu-22M3 was shot down, in fact, it is not surprising at all. Moreover, compared with the Su-35 and A-50 fighters, the Tu-22M3 has been in service for a long time, the avionics equipment is old, and there is no stealth ability, so it is easy to be locked by the opponent's air defense forces.
Once locked, it is difficult for the Tu-22M3 to escape the clutches of anti-aircraft missiles, firstly, its speed is not very fast, and secondly, it also lacks electromagnetic interference capabilities, and it almost does not have the ability to dodge incoming missiles. As for the Tu-22M3 crash, Russia and Ukraine immediately responded and had different statements, the main reason is that the Tu-22M3 is not an ordinary fighter, it is a weapon of both tactical and strategic significance. For Russia, it would rather the Tu-22M3 crash due to mechanical failure, because once the plane is confirmed to have been shot down by a Ukrainian air defense missile, on the one hand, it shows that the Tu-22M3 is not very good; on the other hand, it sets off the strong air defense combat capability of the Ukrainian army, which will invisibly hit the morale of its own army and boost the morale of the Ukrainian army.
For Ukraine, it came out to claim this "record" because it was too eye-catching, and it was the first time. In particular, Ukraine can prove to Western countries through this "record" that as long as you provide advanced air defense missiles, the Ukrainian army can shoot down the fighters of the Russian army, which can be said to be very helpful for the Ukrainian army to ask Western countries for anti-aircraft missiles like "Patriot". Under the current war situation, the Ukrainian army needs Western countries to continue to provide advanced weapons and equipment, so that it can hold on to the Russian army.