Kyiv Takes Credit for Downed Russian Bomber; Moscow Blames ‘Technical’ Issue

Ukraine has claimed to have downed a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber—for the first time—after Russia’s defense ministry blamed the incident on a technical failure. In an April 19 statement, the ministry said the bomber had crashed while returning to an airfield in Russia’s southwestern Stavropol region after having completed a combat mission. The incident appeared to have been caused by a “technical malfunction,” according to the defense ministry. The Tu-22M3 is a long-range strategic bomber typically used to strike sea and ground-based targets with guided missiles and aerial bombs. In a social-media post, Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said at least one out of four crewmembers had been killed, while another remained missing....