Russian Tu-95MS bomber crash kills eight officers linked to Ukraine strikes

A Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in Russia's Far East on 29 September 2026, killing all eight officers on board. Among the dead are three senior pilots and flight commanders who played active roles in organizing and executing devastating cruise missile strikes against Ukraine.

The Soviet-era bomber went down near the village of Krasnoyarovo in the Amur region shortly after taking off from the Ukrainka air base. While the Russian defence ministry initially reported only six deaths, local officials and independent researchers later confirmed that eight personnel had died. Six were members of the active crew, and two were riding along as passengers or flight inspectors.

Who was on board

The names of the dead emerged after Mikhail Piven, a local municipal head in the Amur region, posted a tribute to the crew.

Among the dead were three officers previously identified by Ukrainian intelligence and researchers as key figures in Russia's long-range bombing campaign:

• Major Andrey Lobanov, 40, who served as the aircraft's crew commander. Ukrainian databases link Lobanov directly to a May 2023 mission where his crew launched six cruise missiles at Ukrainian infrastructure.
• Major Andrey Gerasimov, 36, a squadron commander who previously served at the Engels-2 air base. He was linked to the planning and execution of massive cruise missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy grid.
• Lieutenant Colonel Fyodor Pavlyukov, 43, the deputy regiment commander for flight training. Pavlyukov was responsible for training the flight crews that carry out combat sorties over Ukraine.

All three officers were listed in the "Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People", a database compiled by Ukrainian intelligence and civil researchers to track Russian military personnel involved in attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Why they were flying in the Far East

The crash took place thousands of miles from the Ukrainian front, but the flight was directly linked to the war.

Following successful Ukrainian drone operations—including "Operation Spiderweb" and drone strikes on the Engels-2 air base in the Saratov region—Russia has been forced to disperse its strategic bomber fleet. Many of its Tu-95MS aircraft have been relocated to the remote Ukrainka air base in the Far East to keep them out of range of Ukrainian drones.

However, this safety comes at a heavy operational cost. To launch strikes, the bombers must fly from the Far East to airfields closer to Ukraine, such as Engels or Olenya, to be armed and launched.

According to flight tracking data and independent military analysts, a single combat sortie now requires a grueling round trip of up to 24 hours, covering more than 12,000 kilometres. Military experts say this extreme workload is accelerating the wear and tear on Russia’s aging, Soviet-era strategic fleet while pushing flight crews and maintenance teams to their limits.