Russian Supersonic Su-34 Fighter-Bomber Crashes in Home Territory

A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed in southwestern Russia on Saturday, Moscow's government said, according to Kremlin-controlled media.

The jet crashed in the country's Volgograd region during a scheduled training flight, Russian state media reported on Saturday, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

The crew ejected from the aircraft, which crashed in an unpopulated area, according to the RIA Novosti and Tass state news agencies. The preliminary cause of the crash was described by the agencies as a technical malfunction.

Images widely circulated online on Saturday seemingly show the crash site. Footage shows what appears to be a large scorched area and smoke.

Newsweek could not independently verify the images nor photographs, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Russia has extensively used its Su-34 all-weather supersonic fighter-bomber aircraft in operations against Ukrainian forces since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

Moscow's aircraft away from the front lines have been plagued by a number of noncombat losses, many of which have been attributed by Russian authorities and media to technical failures.

In mid-June, a Russian Su-34 crashed into a mountain in a "deserted area" during a training flight in North Ossetia-Alania, a small republic on the border with Georgia, Kremlin-backed media reported at the time.

The two crew members onboard were killed after a "technical malfunction," according to RIA Novosti.

In September 2023, an Su-34 crashed during a training flight in Russia's Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine's eastern Luhansk district. Moscow said the two crew members onboard the jet had managed to eject before the aircraft crashed, also chalking the accident up to a "technical malfunction."

In October 2022, Russian authorities said 15 people were killed when an Su-34 crashed into a residential building in Yeysk, a town in Russia's southern Krasnodar region across the Sea of Azov from Russian-controlled southern Ukraine.

Russian state media said at the time, citing national security agencies, that two seagulls were sucked into the aircraft's engines as it took off, causing a fire in one.

Several other Russian aircraft have been involved in accidents since February 2022. In August 2023, a Su-30 fighter jet crashed in the Kaliningrad exclave in an uninhabited area during a training flight, killing both crew members, a Russian military spokesperson told Tass. Moscow authorities attributed the accident to a technical malfunction.

In October 2022, an Su-30 crashed into a house in the Siberian town of Irkutsk, again killing both crew members.

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