The official statement from the ministry cited that the accident’s probable cause was a technical fault without giving additional details.
A Su-30 fighter crashed in Kaliningrad, killing its two crew members, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Su-30 accident in Kaliningrad
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that a Su-30 fighter crashed in a deserted area during a training flight in the Kaliningrad region. The flight was carried out without ammunition.
The official statement from the ministry cited that the accident’s probable cause was a technical fault without giving additional details.
Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea.
Attacks against the Kerch Bridge
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait was the target of an attempted Ukrainian S-200 rocket attack. No damage or casualties were reported.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the 19-kilometer bridge has been the target of several attacks by Ukrainian forces.
Images shared on Russian social media showed smoke in the area of the bridge. Although Reuters could not verify these images, the Interfax news agency said traffic on the bridge was momentarily halted and then resumed.
Russian defense intercepts Ukrainian drones.
Russian defensive forces neutralized 20 Ukrainian drones aimed at the Crimean peninsula. According to the Ministry of Defense, 14 of these were shot down by anti-aircraft systems and six by electronic warfare measures.
No casualties or damage were reported from these drone strikes. The specific purpose of these attacks on the Black Sea peninsula has not been clarified.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, raising tensions in the region ever since.
Increase in Ukrainian drone attacks.
Drone strikes targeting Russian-controlled territories have increased since May, including one on the Kremlin. Although Ukraine rarely takes credit for these attacks, it has stressed that hitting Russia’s military infrastructure is essential to its counteroffensive.
The Crimean bridge suffered significant damage in October from an explosion, which was blamed on a truck on the bridge that killed three people. Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency later claimed the operation as an act of sabotage.
The bridge represents the only direct connection between Russia and the peninsula and was inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2018.
