A Russian fighter jet has crashed over the southern Russian region of Krasnodar. This reports the German news website n-tv.de with reference to the Interfax agency, which cites data from the Defense Ministry in Moscow.
According to the report, the L-39 trainer aircraft was on its approach to land during a training flight when it crashed. The exact cause has not yet been determined, the report continues. One passenger was killed in the incident.
Since the start of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine at the end of February, fighter jets have repeatedly taken off from Krasnodar to attack the neighboring country. Incidents like this one are becoming more frequent, with Russian fighter jets crashing while still over Russian territory. The official reason given is technical problems. N-tv.de reports that only a few days ago, a crew of a Su-30 aircraft was killed when it crashed over the Russian Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.
Krasnodar is a region in southern Russia. The eponymous capital of the Krasnodar region has just under 750,000 inhabitants and is one of the most important centers in the south of Russia.
The cause of the crash is being identified as disorientation with the pilot’s instrument, according to the ministry.
The L-39 Albatros aircraft was developed in Czechoslovakia. It made its first flight in 1968, and was chosen as the main training aircraft of the Warsaw Treaty Organization member countries in 1972. It remains the main trainer jet for cadets at Russian flight schools to this day.
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