Ukraine takes credit after one of Putin's bombers spirals to ground in flames

Ukraine claims to have shot down a Russian strategic bomber 250 miles beyond its border, in a major blow to President Vladimir Putin.

Footage captured the Tu-22M3 spiralling down to the ground with its tail ablaze over the Stavropol region of Russia, east of Crimea.

The Soviet-era jet, which reportedly costs £228 million, had just completed a conventional bombing attack on Ukraine and was returning to its base when it crashed.

It was one of around 65 still used by the Russian military.

All four crew members on board were said to have ejected from the long-range bomber, with one later reported to have been found dead.

Citing military intelligence sources, Ukraine’s Channel 2 said the plane had been shot down by an S-200 anti-aircraft missile system.

The system has a maximum range of 160 miles, and the closest areas of Ukraine to the crash site are under Russian control.

Official and unofficial sources within Russia denied the plane had been hit, but admitted there was a fire on board.

The wreckage of the Tu-22M3 was left in a field in the Krasnogvardeysky district of Stavropol (Picture: Governor of Stavropol Krai/AFP)

A Russian defence ministry spokesperson said: ‘There was no ammunition on board, the aircraft went down in a deserted area.

‘There is no damage on the ground.

‘According to preliminary data, the cause of the accident was a technical malfunction.’

The Tu-22M3 crash comes at a nerve-racking time for Ukraine, as boggy ground begins to dry up in the spring weather and the invaders are able to move heavy equipment, including tanks, deeper into the country.

Firefighters at the site of a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine this morning (Picture: Reuters)

However, experts believe a major ground offensive is unlikely to take place, as Russia is able to rely on less risky approaches such as satellite-guided gliding bombs.

Analysts say areas have been left unprotected despite President Volodymyr Zelensky’s order to build trenches, fortifications and bunkers along the frontline last November.

Ukrainian military expert Oleh Zhdanov said: ‘We should have been digging trenches through the (autumn) and it would have stemmed Russian advances.

‘Now everything is exposed, making it very dangerous.’

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