WATCH: Six Tu-95 Crew Members Reported Dead in Russia’s Amur Region Plane Crash

Six crew members were reportedly killed and one person was hospitalized on Tuesday after a Russian aircraft crashed near the village of Krasnoyanovo in Russia’s Amur region. Seven people were on board, according to Russian Telegram channel BAZA. Firefighters were working to extinguish a blaze at the crash site.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. While pro-Russian outlet EurAsia Daily (EAD) claimed the plane was a Tu-154 transport plane, Russia’s defense ministry later confirmed that it was a Tu-95 bomber that crashed during a training exercise, according to Russian outlet Vesti. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The incident took place in the Russian Far East region of Amur bordering China, and the aircraft reportedly operated out of the Ukrainka aviation base. The Moscow Times described the base as “one of Russia’s largest long-range Air Force bases.”The Tu-95 (NATO reporting name: “Bear”) is the backbone of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet and played a key role in launching missiles against Ukrainian cities.The bombers were also among the key targets in the clandestine Ukrainian operation dubbed “Operation Spiderweb” in June 2025, in which dozens of Tu-95s on tarmacs were hit after Ukraine deployed drones that had been smuggled near airfields disguised as modular houses.While the cause of the latest crash remains unclear, training mishaps are not unheard of.In October 2022, a Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed into an apartment building in Yeysk, killing at least 15 people. Six days later, an Su-30 crashed into a house in Irkutsk during a test flight, killing both pilots. Other Topics of Interest ‘We Need to Survive’: Zelensky’s Hometown Faces Budget Cuts After Factory Shutdowns Kryvyi Rih’s steel and mining plants are the foundation of its economy. With several idle, the city says it must postpone projects while protecting schools, hospitals, water, and heating systems. In July 2025, an Antonov An-24 operated by Angara Airlines crashed near Tynda in Russia’s Far East, killing all 48 people on board.In July 2026, Russia also lost a highly prized Su-57 stealth fighter after it crashed near Moscow.The war in Ukraine and the resulting Western sanctions have also placed pressure on Russia’s aviation industry, with components needed to maintain the aircraft becoming scarce.Nearly 20% of the aircraft operated by Russia’s largest airlines have been grounded because of difficulties obtaining spare parts, according to calculations made by Russian newspaper Kommersant, with foreign-made aircraft accounting for roughly two-thirds of Russia’s civilian aircraft fleet and carrying around 90% of the country’s air passengers.In September, Russia is said to be seeking an agreement with Vietnam to lease aircraft from Vietnamese airlines to Russian carriers, along with crews and maintenance under so-called “wet lease” arrangements. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.