OREANDA-NEWS  The cause of the Tu-22M3 accident in the Stavropol Territory, according to preliminary data, was a technical malfunction, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

On Friday morning, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Tu-22M3 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed in the Stavropol Territory after completing a combat mission while returning to the home airfield.

"According to preliminary data, the cause of the accident was a technical malfunction," the report says.