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Three Russian military aircraft have crashed since Jan. 18, leaving at least five crew members dead at a time when the Russian Air Force is engaged in increasing aggressive aerial operations worldwide.

  • On Friday, two Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bombers collided during a training mission over the Sea of Japan, the Ministry of Defense announced. One of the four crew members aboard was recovered alive.
  • On Tuesday, a Tupolev Tu-22M3 crashed while landing a blizzard at a military airfield north of the Arctic Circle, Russian state media first reported. Three of the four crew members aboard were reportedly killed in the incident.
  • All three aircraft were participating in training exercises and unarmed at the time of their respective accidents, according to media reports.
  • It's worth noting that the Su-34 was designed, per FighterSweep, to eventually replace the Tu-22M3 among other aging aircraft from Russia's Soviet-era fleet.

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Jared Keller
Jared Keller

Jared Keller is the former managing editor of Task & Purpose. His writing has appeared in Aeon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the New Republic, Pacific Standard, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post, among other publications. Contact the author here.

Aircraft
Region & Country
Russia
European Command
indo-pacific command