Russian Air Force Su-57 Crash

A Su-57 fifth-generation fighter crashed shortly after takeoff from Kubinka Air Base on 23 July 2026, coming down in the Odintsovo district of Moscow Oblast near the town of Zvenigorod. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that a combat-trainer aircraft had crashed during a routine training flight without naming the type, while Kommersant and other Russian outlets identified the aircraft as a Su-57. The jet was not carrying weapons, and the pilot ejected safely with no casualties on the ground. Images shared on social media showed flames and thick smoke at the crash site. Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for violation of flight regulations or flight-preparation procedures, and a state commission was dispatched to determine the cause, which remains officially undisclosed; Russian military bloggers speculated that a jittery local air-defense unit, on edge after recent Ukrainian drone raids on Moscow, may have mistakenly engaged the jet, though this friendly-fire theory is unconfirmed. The loss is a rare one for Russia's small operational Su-57 fleet, which numbers around 29 aircraft.