A Russian Su-34 military aircraft crashed in the mountainous region of North Ossetia, killing the crew, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on June 11.
The plane was conducting a scheduled training flight, according to the defense ministry. The ministry claimed preliminary data indicates the crash was caused by a technical malfunction.
The Russian Telegram channel Mash reported that residents heard an explosion near the village of Gorny Dzuarikau in North Ossetia at night.
The Russian Su-34 is a Soviet-era medium-range fighter-bomber. The Ukrainian military reported shooting down multiple Su-34 jets in the spring of 2024.
The Russian domestic airline industry has seen a significant uptick in accidents and emergency landings since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of war and subsequent imposition of Western sanctions.