Eight officers die in Tu-95MS bomber crash in Russia's Amur region

Eight Russian military officers lost their lives when a Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed near Krasnoyarovo in the Amur region on September 29. Initial reports described six fatalities during a training sortie from the Ukrainka air base, but Mediazona later confirmed eight dead, including the main crew and two additional officers who may have been inspectors or passengers. Most of the victims had previously served at the Engels base in Saratov before being reassigned to the Far East.

Among them, Major Andrey Lobanov, Major Andrey Gerasimov and Lieutenant Colonel Fyodor Pavlyukov were listed by the Ukrainian “Book of Executioners” as having taken part in or organized missile strikes on Ukrainian soil. The crash follows the SBU’s Operation Spiderweb, after which Ukrainka became a principal hub for Russia’s long-range aviation, with bombers undertaking roughly 23-hour missions that launch missiles from forward bases such as Engels or Olenya and then return to the Far East. The incident underscores the human cost of Russia’s sustained aerial campaign against Ukraine.