Ukraine claims it shot down a Russian strategic bomber. Moscow says the plane crashed

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s air force is claiming it shot down a Russian strategic bomber. But Moscow officials say the plane crashed Friday in a sparsely populated area due to a malfunction after a combat mission. Neither claim could be independently verified. Previous Ukrainian claims of shooting down Russian warplanes have been met with silence or denials from Moscow. Russia’s air force is vastly more powerful than Ukraine’s, but sophisticated missile systems provided by Kyiv’s Western partners are a major threat to Russian aviation as the Kremlin’s forces slowly push forward along the around 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line in what has become a grinding war of attrition that is now in its third year.