Russian Su-30 fighter jet crashes in Karelia, two pilots killed

A Russian Su-30 fighter jet on a routine training mission crashed in the Karelia region, bordering Finland, on Thursday evening, resulting in the deaths of both crew members, the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed.

The ministry said the aircraft went down around 7 pm Moscow time in an uninhabited forested area and was not carrying any ammunition during the flight. “The crew of the aircraft was killed,” the statement, carried by TASS, noted.

Karelia’s regional authorities immediately launched an emergency response.

Governor Artur Parfenchikov said he had instructed rescue teams to proceed to the suspected crash site in the Prionezhsky district. In a later update on his Telegram channel, he confirmed that the crash caused no damage or casualties on the ground as the jet came down in dense woodland.

Emergency services continue to secure the site as investigations begin into what led to the fatal accident.

With PTI inputs