This is the second such incident in the past week. On Monday, a Sukhoi Su-34 plane crashed into his nine-story apartment in the southern Russian town of Yeysk. At least 15 people were killed in the crash, Reuters reports. At the time, officials said the cause was likely a “technical glitch.” The downed pilot successfully ejected and survived.
In both incidents, officials said the planes were on training flights. It highlights the losses of the Russian Air Force in the war with Ukraine.
Russian officials have not provided any information about the cause of the crash. The country’s Commission of Inquiry said it had launched a criminal investigation into possible violations of transport safety rules and sent forensic investigators to the scene.
Russia’s state-owned aerospace conglomerate United Aircraft Corporation said in a statement on Sunday that the crash investigation would involve aviation industry experts. In Irkutsk on Sunday evening, authorities declared a state of municipal emergency in the district where the incident occurred, Russian media reported.
The continuing clashes are a problem for the Russian military, which is struggling with Ukrainian counterattacks in the southern Kherson region and public perception at home. Moscow has faced criticism from military analysts who say it has not won Ukraine fast enough, and from Russian citizens who have fled en masse to avoid the military mobilization ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
Elsewhere in the region last month, a man shot and killed an official at a military enlistment station in a small town north of Irkutsk. The shooter appeared distraught that his close friend had been called up to fight in Ukraine despite having no military service.
Mary Ilyushina contributed to this report.
