Su-30 fighter jet crashed in Karelia, two dead

The plane went down in a forest area in the Prionezhsky district south of Petrozavodsk in Karelia.

“Today, at approximately 7 pm Moscow time, a Su-30 aircraft crashed in the Republic of Karelia during a scheduled training flight … The crew was killed,” Russia’s Defence Ministry reported in Telegram. The ministry added that the plane was not carrying ammunition. Karelian governor Arthur Parfenchikov posted photos on Telegram from the rescue work at the crash site. The jet belonged to the 159th Fighter Aviation Regiment based at the Besovets airport some 12 kilometres northwest of Petrozavodsk. Fighter jets from this regiment frequently patrol Russia’s border with Finland and play a key role in the air defence of the country’s northwestern regions.

Three dozen Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets are parked at the regiment, the latest 2024 Google Earth satellite image shows. Investigators are currently working at the scene to determine the cause of the fighter jet’s crash.