August 12th 2023.
On Saturday, tragedy struck in Kaliningrad as a Russian Su-30 warplane crashed during a training mission, killing both pilots on board.
The plane spun out of control before nosediving and then exploding when it smashed into the ground in the Baltic Sea exclave. The crash occurred close to the Suwalki Corridor, a 60-mile stretch between Kaliningrad and Russian ally Belarus and has been dubbed NATO’s ‘weakest link’.
Fears have been raised that troops from Wagner mercenary group could be used as a provocation in the strip, which forms the only land link between member states Poland and Lithuania. Local military authorities said the crash was likely caused by a ‘technical fault’ and that the flight was carried out without ammunition.
The Su-30 has been used extensively during Russia’s war in Ukraine, and is the eighth military aircraft Vladimir Putin has lost this year. Last month, two Russian fighter jets crashed while on training missions – one into the Pacific and one into the Sea of Azov. The crash was captured on video, with onlookers heard saying: ‘What a nightmare. A plane crashed. It exploded. The pilots didn’t even eject….what a horror.’
This loss of life is a tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the two pilots who lost their lives in this incident.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
