MOSCOW: A Russian military aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of the annexed Crimean peninsula near Sevastopol on Thursday, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol.
Razvozhayev stated in a Telegram post that the pilot safely ejected from the plane and was subsequently rescued by emergency responders.
The incident occurred near the Crimean port of Sevastopol, with the pilot managing to escape unharmed. Governor Razvozhayev confirmed that no civilian objects were damaged as a result of the crash.
Earlier reports from Russian Telegram channels indicated that a Russian Su-35 fighter jet had crashed in the vicinity of Sevastopol. However, the exact cause of the crash remains unclear at this time.
Following the incident, authorities in Sevastopol announced the suspension of marine passenger transport traffic in the city. The circumstances surrounding the crash are currently under investigation.
The crash comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014, a move that was widely condemned by the international community.
