A Russian Su-34 crashed in North Ossetia. The pilots did not manage to save themselves. The fighter-bomber, which was performing a training flight, went down in a deserted area in the mountains, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"There is no destruction on the ground. The crew was killed. The preliminary cause of the plane crash is a technical malfunction. A VKS commission has flown to the site of the plane's crash,” the Defense Ministry quoted Kremlin media as saying.
It is reported that the plane went down in the mountains of the Alagirsky district. According to Telegram channel Baza, citing its sources, the Su-34 crashed into a mountain range near the village of Gorny Dzuarikau around midnight. This village is located between Vladikavkaz and South Ossetia.
A commission of the Russian Air and Space Forces flew to the site of the plane's crash, the Defense Ministry added.
Kremlin media wrote that this Su-34 “repeatedly struck militant positions in Syria and participated in Special military operations.”
This is by no means the first case of a Russian Su-34 crashing due to a technical malfunction.
Last May, a Su-34 fighter jet went down near the border with Ukraine in the village of Istrovka in the Bryansk region. The pilot and navigator died.
In September, an Su-34 crashed in the Voronezh region. The plane was performing a scheduled training flight. The fighter went down far from populated areas, the crew managed to eject. The cause of the crash was attributed to a technical malfunction.
In the fall of 2022, due to the ignition of one of the engines Su-34 fell on residential houses in Yeisk, Krasnodar Territory. Six people were killed and 19 were injured. Among the injured were three children aged 8-10.
It is important to know, the Su-34 fighter-bomber is designed to strike objects at a distance of 150-600 km from the line of contact in conditions of strong air defense and electronic warfare countermeasures. Therefore, these fighters are considered quite significant and weighty factor in combat operations.
