EXPLOSIVE video has captured the moment one of Vlad’s nuke bombers plummets to the ground, bursting into flames in a humiliating blow.
The £93million Tu-22M3 aircraft cannoned down in the remote Irkutsk region, exploding into a giant fireball.
Flames erupt in the Irkutsk region in Siberia after the crash
The bright blast lit up the night sky
Crew ejected, but the dramatic explosion killed one
The plane was seen glowing in the sky as it descended to doom
Four crew members ejected to evade disaster, but one of them died, according to reports.
He was believed to be a flight navigator.
The surviving trio were rushed to hospital.
The bomber – a type of plane used by Putin as a key plank in his nuclear arsenal – broke up in the sky before crashing amid fierce explosions.
Some reports suggested the crash was caused after the plane’s left engine failed.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said: “Specialists are now trying to determine the exact cause of the crash.”
The Russians initially announced a “technical malfunction” was behind the aircraft’s dramatic descent, without elaborating further.
Kobzev added: “Work at the crash site of the military aircraft TU-22M3 continued all night.
“To my deep regret, one of the (crew) could not be saved.
“This information was provided by the military command of the Russian Ministry of Defence.
“Sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased…
“This is a truly great loss.”
The supersonic strike bomber was on a “scheduled flight” but tumbled down into flames soon after takeoff.
Authorities have launched an urgent probe into what caused the crash.
It occurred near the Cheryomkhovsky district of the Irkutsk region, some 3,300 miles east of Moscow.
Panicked Vlad, struggling to fend off a Ukrainian border incursion in Kursk, this week deployed two Tu-22 planes to threaten the West in a nuclear drill over the Baltic Sea.
Meanwhile two Tu-95 strategic nuclear missile carriers buzzed the north of Britain by flying over the Norwegian Sea escorted by MiG-31 combat warplanes.
The Tu-22 came down on a highway after leaving Belaya airfield.
Locals said they saw multiple explosions at the crash site.
One report said: “The crew miraculously steered the falling plane away from residential buildings and ejected.”
In April, Ukraine claimed to have shot down one of the bombers 300 kilometres into Russian territory.
It crashed into a field in Russia’s southwestern Stavropol region.
Ukraine’s defence intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov last year claimed Russia had less than 30 Tu-22 bombers left.
The International Institute for Strategic Studios estimates that figure is closer to 60.
The Tu-22 can also carry Kh-15 nuclear or anti-radar missiles, as well as Kh-22 long-range naval strike missiles.
The Russian Tu-22M nuclear-capable strategic bomber
Flames tuned to clouds of dark smoke
The night sky was for a moment lit up in orange amid the explosion
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