The incident occurred in a mountainous area of the North Caucasus
FILE PHOTO: A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber in 2022. © Valentin Kapustin / Sputnik
A Russian Su-34 supersonic bomber has crashed in the country’s mountainous North Ossetia-Alania region, killing both pilots, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday morning. The jet was flying a routine training mission.
A preliminary assessment suggests the aircraft suffered a technical failure, the ministry said, as quoted by TASS news agency.
North Ossetia is located in the North Caucasus, bordering South Ossetia and Georgia.
The twin-seat plane is capable of striking ground targets with high-precision bombs and missiles. Russian Su-34s have flown multiple combat missions in Syria and Ukraine.
The incident occurred two months after a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber crashed in southern Russia when returning from a raid in Ukraine, killing two of its four crew members.
In October 2022, a Russian Su-34 suffered an engine failure and crashed into an apartment block in the southern city of Yeysk, killing 16 people. Both pilots survived.
