Russian warplane crashes in Russia's Belgorod region, near Ukraine's border, governor says

2 years ago 1304

(CNN) A Russian military aircraft crashed in Russia's Belgorod region, the local governor said in a statement on Telegram Thursday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said an aircraft belonging to the Russian Ministry of Defense crashed in the Valuysky municipality, not far from the country's border with Ukraine.

"An investigation team and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are currently working on the ground," Gladkov said. "The reason for the incident is being investigated. The situation is under control."

The region borders Ukraine, and the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv lies across the border from the city of Belgorod.

The pilot, who had just returned from a combat sortie over Ukrainian skies, ejected from the Sukhoi Su-25 jet but Russia's MoD later said the pilot did not survive.

It was not immediately clear whether the jet had been hit by a strike from Ukraine, but Russia's MoD claimed the crash was due to a 'technical malfunction', a routine explanation when its warplanes are downed.

'After completing a combat mission, a Su-25 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed while returning to its base airfield in the Belgorod Region. The pilot died... According to preliminary data, the cause of the disaster was a technical malfunction,' the ministry said.

The remains of a Russian jet that crashed in Belgorod region close to the Ukrainian border are pictured (Photo dailymail.co.uk)

Russia's ministry of defence said the jet was returning to base from a combat mission when it malfunctioned and crashed

Russia's ministry of defence said the jet was returning to base from a combat mission when it malfunctioned and crashed (Photo dailymail.co.uk)

Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine's Kharkiv region, has repeatedly come under fire since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

In a post on the Telegram messenger app, Belgorod's governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the emergency services and investigators were on the scene near the town of Valyuki, and that the reason for the crash was being established.

Soviet-era Su-25 jets have long been a mainstay in Russia's arsenal and are used to provide close air support to troops on the ground. (Photo dailymail.co.uk)