Likely just a 50 year old aircraft that has been in constant use for 5 years. Critical mechanical failures will happen eventually.

This doesn’t look like a shootdown - there’s no smoke or visible flame coming from the airframe. Something broke or someone fucked up. Still good that they’ve lost a strategic asset though.

This is likely the result of bullshitting for years and years without it mattering until one day it suddenly mattered quite a lot.

Even if Ukraine had 0 involvement in this, it'd be a great opportunity to imply they sabotaged something and add to the paranoia.

Putler blames NATO. Or “Norman-Saxons.” Or the west.

Can’t give any credit to ~~fellow Russians~~ America’s vassals.

20 liters goes fast.