A Russian fighter jet crashed in the Nizhny Novgorod region, according to initial reports from the Russian media outlet Baza.
The twin-seat combat aircraft reportedly went down near the town of Kulebaki, not far from the Savasleyka military airfield.
Preliminary information indicates that both pilots ejected from the aircraft before impact. One of the aircrew members has been located, while search efforts are continuing for the second pilot, Russian media said.
The crash site, reportedly of a Su-27UB, is reported to be approximately 12 kilometers from the Savasleyka airbase, a known location for flight training and operational testing within Russia’s Western Military District.
The exact cause of the crash remains undetermined. However, several sources cited by Baza suggest that the incident may have been the result of a technical malfunction or pilot error.
Later in the day, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the loss of the aircraft and clarified that the jet involved was a Su-34, not a Su-27UB.
“During landing, there was a failure in the deployment system of one of the landing gear struts. The crew attempted several times to correct the malfunction in flight, but the situation did not change. On the instruction of the flight operations director, the crew guided the aircraft to a safe area and ejected,” the ministry said.
According to the statement, the flight was conducted without onboard munitions, and the aircraft crashed in an unpopulated area. A search and rescue team was dispatched to the crash site to evacuate the crew, and an investigative commission from the Russian Aerospace Forces was also sent to the location.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include that the Su-34’s navigator was killed: after ejecting, he landed poorly in a tree and died from his injuries.
The Su-34 is a two-seat fighter-bomber derived from the Su-27 platform and is designed for deep strike missions, close air support, and interdiction. It remains a core component of Russia’s tactical aviation fleet.
In recent years, Russia’s tactical aviation units have experienced a series of non-combat losses, many involving older aircraft types. Technical faults, aging airframes, and high operational tempo have contributed to a pattern of incidents, particularly among legacy platforms such as the Su-27, Su-25, Su-24 and MiG-29.