A Russian Su-25 fighter jet crashed during a routine training mission in Russia's Far East, the country's Defense Ministry said on Monday, bringing Russia's aircraft losses to five in a single day.
Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Russia's air force has suffered extensive casualties throughout the war in Ukraine, and a large number of its losses-such as that of the Su-25 crash on Monday-have been self-inflicted.
General Christopher Cavoli, the head of the U.S. European Command, told American lawmakers that by April 2024, Russia had lost around 10 percent of its aircraft fleet since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What To Know
The Defense Ministry said in a statement cited by Russia's state-run news agencies Tass and Interfax that the Su-25 fighter jet crashed in Russia's Primorsky Krai due to a technical malfunction.
The pilot was able to eject and was rescued by a search and rescue team. There is no threat to the pilot's life or health.
Both Russia and Ukraine have lost significant numbers of aircraft in the war. Dutch open-source intelligence defense analysis website Oryx has visually confirmed that 120 Russian planes have been destroyed and 17 damaged since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.
Oryx has also visually confirmed that 100 Ukrainian aircraft have been destroyed since the beginning of the war, with four damaged and one captured.
Kyiv's military said in an update on Monday that Moscow had lost 370 aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces posts figures on Russia's troop and equipment losses as part of its daily update on the war. It said Russia had lost 1,280 troops in a single day-bringing the total to 904,760.
Moscow, like Ukraine, rarely divulges information on the number of casualties or equipment losses it has sustained in the war.
In another self-inflicted loss this month, the Russian Defense Ministry said a Russian Mi-28 helicopter crashed in the Leningrad region, killing two pilots on board.
What People Are Saying
Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday: "The flight was conducted without ammunition, the plane crashed in an uninhabited area, and there was no damage on the ground. According to preliminary information, the cause of the accident was a technical malfunction."
What Happens Next
A Russian Air Force commission flew to the scene to investigate the crash.
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This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 9:36 AM.