Russian Tu-95 bomber crashes in Far East, six crew killed

Six of the seven crew members aboard a Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber died when the aircraft crashed in the Amur region of Russia's Far East, the defense ministry said. The crash occurred on September 29, 2026, during a training flight.

The surviving crew member was injured and taken to a medical facility, the ministry said in a statement carried by Interfax. The area where the bomber went down is uninhabited, it said.

According to the ministry, the aircraft was not carrying munitions. A commission from the Russian Aerospace Forces has been sent to the crash site to establish what happened.

The Amur regional government said the aircraft went down near the village of Krasnoyarovo, and that the crew did everything possible to steer the bomber clear of residential buildings.

The Tu-95 has been in Soviet and later Russian service since 1956, and production of the type has ended. Russia's Long-Range Aviation operates the Tu-95MS variant, used to launch cruise missiles against Ukraine. The fleet has also taken significant losses on the ground.