Ukraine has said it shot down a Russian strategic bomber "for the first time".
The Russian defence ministry claimed the Tu-22M3 bomber had crashed in Russia's southern Stavropol region, hundreds of miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory, as it returned to base after carrying out a combat mission.
It said the crash appeared to have been caused by a technical malfunction.
But Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said Kyiv had "destroyed" the bomber, which is capable of carrying long-range missiles.
"For the first time, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, in cooperation with the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, destroyed a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber, a carrier of Kh-22 cruise missiles used by Russian terrorists to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities," Commander Oleshchuk said.
The Russian regional governor said the bomber's four pilots had ejected but one had died and a rescue operation was ongoing for the fourth.
It comes after Russia conducted a major missile attack on the central Dnipropetrovsk region earlier today, which killed at least eight and injured 25.