A Russian pilot has reportedly died after his Su-25 fighter jet crashed in the Azov Sea in the country’s south near Ukraine.
Russian military authorities said a Su-25 fighter jet crashed after taking off from a local airfield for a training flight, the state-run RIA Novosti reported.
The crash was caused by an “engine failure,” the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don said.
Video shared on social media showed the fighter’s pilot parachuting from the aircraft as it plunged into the water, not far from a beach where people could be seen swimming.
“I express my condolences to the relatives of the victim who died when his Su-25 attack aircraft crashed during a training flight,” Roman Bublik, the head of the Yeisk district of the southern Krasnodar region, said on social media.
Reports from pro-War channels said the Russian pilot had been on his first combat mission when he crashed into the sea.
Emergency crews could not save the pilot, who reportedly died after breaking his leg upon impact and getting tangled in his parachute.
