A RUSSIAN Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber jet capable of carrying nukes crashed overnight in a fireball explosion.

The £228 million aircraft was an integral component of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear strike arsenal, utilized to conduct airstrikes on Ukraine and inflict devastation on civilians.

Footage of the crash, widely shared on Russian war Telegram channels, captures a massive explosion in the night sky following the bomber’s impact with the ground.

Igor Kobzev, the governor of Irkutsk where the jet crashed, confirmed that all four crew members ejected, but one pilot was reportedly killed.

Russian media also published footage showing flames and smoke at the crash site.

It also reported a power outage in the area where the plane crashed.

The Tupolev Tu-22M3, first deployed by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine during the “carpet-bombing” of Mariupol, boasts an operational range of nearly 7,000 km.

It can also carry Kh-15 nuclear or anti-radar missiles, as well as Kh-22 long-range naval strike missiles.

With a crew of four airmen, the Backfire jet can reach max speeds of more than Mach 2 (2,300kmph).

This is not the first time a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber crashed during the Ukraine war.

Dramatic footage captured the moment Ukraine shot down the nuke bomber, sending it spiralling to the ground.

It crashed over the Stavropol region – some 250 miles from the border – in southern Russia after completing a bombing attack on Ukraine.

The long-range strategic bomber was shot down by a S-200 anti-aircraft missile system, said Channel 2, citing sources in Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency.

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