A Russian Su-57 fighter jet crashed near the village of Lutsino in the Moscow Region earlier today, according to a report by the Telegram channel Mash. The aircraft model was confirmed by the Kremlin-aligned business newspaper Kommersant and the pro-war military aviation channel Voevoda Veshchayet. According to Kommersant, the Su-57 crashed during a training flight; it was not carrying weapons, and the pilot ejected.
Local Telegram channel Zvenigorod published a series of photographs from the scene. Taken from different angles, the images show fire and a tall column of thick black smoke in the Lutsino area. The channel also cited eyewitnesses who said that the pilot had ejected before the aircraft exploded.
State-owned outlet Izvestia confirms the crash of a fighter jet near Lutsino but does not identify the aircraft model. According to the outlet, emergency services have been dispatched to the scene.
The Telegram channel 112 reports that the aircraft went down in the Odintsovo urban district, near the Moskva River. The pilot managed to eject, and no casualties were reported. Mash claims that before ejecting, the pilot tried to steer the aircraft away from residential buildings.
The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case connected with the violation of flight rules under Article 351 of the Russian Criminal Code, Kommersant reports. The cause of the crash will be investigated by military experts and a commission from the Ministry of Defense.
The Su-57 is Russia’s newest multirole fighter jet. The manufacturer and Russian authorities classify it as fifth-generation. The aircraft made its first flight in 2010 and is considered to be the most advanced fighter in service with Russia’s Aerospace Forces. As of publication, Russia’s Ministry of Defense had not issued any official statement on the crash.
