• 2
min read
A Russian Su-30 fighter jet crashed during a scheduled training flight in Kaliningrad Oblast, a heavily militarized Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea bordering Poland and Lithuania, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Oct. 21.
Moscow has not elaborated on the reason for the plane crash. The Russian Defense Ministry said the crew ejected and evacuated by a ground search-and-rescue team, without disclosing whether they were injured.
The jet crashed near the town of Chernyakhovsk, about 90 kilometers (about 56 miles) east of Kaliningrad, according to the pro-Kremlin Mash Telegram channel. It said that both pilots were injured and were taken to a military hospital.
The Su-30 is a two-seat, multirole fighter for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Moscow said that the jet was not carrying any weapons at the time of the crash.
Russia has had multiple instances of a aircraft crashing during training exercises, including ones that led to the death of crew members aboard. In September, a Russian Tu-95 aircraft crashed in Russia's Amur Oblast during training, killing six crew members and injuring one, the Kremlin-controlled Interfax news agency said on Sept. 29, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
The crash also occurred amid escalating tensions between Russia and NATO over Kaliningrad, prompting Lithuania's Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas to call for troops to be deployed to the country's border with the Russian exclave.