Russian fighter jet crashes in to the sea with pilot ‘on his first combat mission’ ejecting in front of stunned tourists near Ukrainian warzone
- Russian pilot had reportedly been on first combat mission when he crashed
- Unverified videos appear to show Su-35 fighter jet crashing into Sea of Azov
A Russian Su-25 fighter jet crashed into sea moments before the newly qualified pilot ejected from the doomed plane in front of astonished tourists close to the Ukrainian frontlines.
Unverified videos on social media appear to show the stricken warplane travelling at speed at a dangerously low height before it plunged into the Sea of Azov near the Russian town of Yeysk.
At the moment of impact, a huge plume of water is seen soaring up towards the sky as tourists on a nearby beach watched in stunned silence.
Seconds before the fighter jet plunged into the sea, the video appeared to show the young pilot ejecting from the warplane as his parachute descended over the water.
Reports from pro-War channels said the Russian pilot had been on his first combat mission when he crashed into the sea.
Unverified videos on social media appear to show the stricken warplane travelling at speed at a dangerously low height before it plunged into the sea near the Russian town of Yeysk
Seconds before the fighter jet plunged into the Sea of Asov, the video appeared to show the young pilot ejecting from the warplane as his parachute descended over the water (circled)
Officials from Russia’s Krasnodar region said the pilot, who has not been named, had been rescued from the water near Yeysk town, which lies across from the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
As the pilot ejected from the plane, the lines of his parachute canopy reportedly became tangled and he almost drowned but rescuers reached him just in time.
Local media claimed that the pilot was found unconscious and medics tried to resuscitate him in the ambulance, while other reports said he was in a critical condition.
The pilot was reportedly rushed to the emergency department of a local hospital where doctors are now fighting to save his life.
The crashed SU-25 was sticking out of the shallow water off the popular tourist beach in Kradnodar region following the crash, local media reported.
Earlier reports said a ‘technical malfunction’ was to blame for the crash, but this is the default Russian explanation with any aerial disaster.
The cause was also given as ‘engine failure’ – yet this is before investigators had spoken to the pilot.
The aircraft is believed to have got into trouble soon after taking off from a military airport in the city.
One theory was that the pilot delayed ejecting to guide the aircraft away from houses and people.
Earlier in the day suspected Ukrainian sea drones exploded on the bridge connecting annexed Crimea to Krasnodar region.
In October last year an Su-34 crashed next to a residential block and set it on fire, killing 15 people and leaving dozens injured.
A Russian Su-34 fighter bomber jet crashed next to an apartment block in the city of Yeysk in October last year, setting the building on fire as the pilots ejected (circled)
Video showed one of the pilots on the floor and still attached to his parachute shortly after the crash
It slammed into the ground in front of an apartment building, dousing the building in burning fuel and killing 15 people.
Both pilots ejected safely, with footage showing one of them on the ground nearby still attached to his parachute.
The Sukhoi 34 fighter-jet had taken off from an airfield in the southern Russian city of Yeysk, near the border of Ukraine, as part of a training exercise when it plunged from the sky moments later with one engine on fire.
The Russian military said the pilots were taking part in training when the crash happened and the stranded pilot can be heard denying the craft was shot down as people try to help him.
The Russians blamed a ‘technical malfunction’ for the fireball crash.
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