- Russian Telegram channels reported that a Su-30 fighter jet crashed in Karelia during a training flight, killing both crew members.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the deaths and said investigators are examining technical failure and pilot error as possible causes.
Russian Telegram channels closely connected to the country’s security structures reported on Thursday that a Su-30 fighter jet crashed in the Prionezhsky district of the Republic of Karelia, leaving both crew members dead.
The channels 112 and SHOT wrote that “emergency services moved to the scene,” according to a statement released shortly after the crash.
The Russian Ministry of Defense later confirmed that the crew was killed, acknowledging that the Su-30 went down during a training flight over Karelia. The ministry said the aircraft was conducting a scheduled exercise when the crash occurred.
Local sources reported that the jet was performing advanced aerobatic maneuvers when it “began to lose altitude sharply and crashed within seconds,” according to regional observers. They said the aircraft descended too quickly for the crew to regain control.
Investigators have not yet identified the cause of the crash. However, Russian outlets stated that two primary scenarios are being examined: a technical failure of the aircraft and pilot error. Both possibilities are common lines of inquiry in Russian military aviation accidents, especially as the country’s air fleet faces growing pressure from high operational tempo.
Witnesses in nearby settlements said they heard a loud impact and observed emergency vehicles moving toward the crash zone within minutes. As noted by local reports, multiple response units secured the area shortly after the incident. The ministry has not released the names of the pilots or disclosed whether the aircraft was carrying any external equipment during the training sortie.
The Su-30, manufactured by United Aircraft Corporation and operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces, is one of Russia’s primary multirole fighters, used for routine patrols, training flights, and tactical missions.
Analysts from the monitoring group Oryx report that Russia has lost about 15 Su-30SM aircraft since the start of its full-scale war in Ukraine, based solely on visually confirmed evidence.