Russian air defenses mistakenly shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter off the coast of Crimea on Thursday, Russian independent media reported. The information that the plane fell into the Black Sea was confirmed by the head of the occupation authorities of Sevastopol.
A Russian Su-35 fighter jet crashed into the sea near Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea on Thursday. Radio Svoboda reported that, according to initial reports, the pilot survived and the plane could have been shot down by mistake by Russian anti-aircraft defense.
The incident was confirmed by Mikhail Razvozaev, head of the Sevastopol occupation authorities appointed by the Kremlin. “The military plane fell into the sea. (…) The pilot ejected. He was fished out by rescuers (…) 200 meters from the shore. His life is not in danger,” Razvohayev reported in a message on social media.
Su-35MAXIM SHIPENKOV/EPA/PAP
Reports that the Su-35 could have been shot down by mistake by Russian air defense units were transmitted by the WCzK-OGPU Telegram channel, which is often cited by independent portals. Footage purporting to show a Russian fighter jet falling into the waters of the Black Sea appears on social media.
The authorities in Kiev and Moscow have not yet commented on this incident.
Explosions in Crimea
Starting from August 2022, explosions have been regularly reported in Crimea. In the case of Ukrainian attacks using missiles and drones, the Russian occupation administration usually reports that the explosions are allegedly the result of anti-aircraft defense operations or the effective destruction of incoming drones.
The Ukrainian side is increasingly admitting to these operations – for example, it confirmed that representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine took part in the attacks on the bridge to Crimea in October 2022 and July 2023. In September last year, the authorities in Kiev admitted, among other things, down shelling the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and shipyard in that city, as well as an attack on the Russian S-400 Triumf air and missile defense system near Eupatoria.
On Sunday (March 24), the Ukrainian General Staff announced another attack on occupied Crimea. He reported that Russian landing ships Yamal and Azov and the enemy fleet's communications center in Sevastopol were hit.
The Crimean Peninsula was annexed by Russia in March 2014 as a result of military intervention and an illegal referendum. Ukraine and the West considered these actions by the Kremlin a violation of international law.
The Crimean Peninsula was annexed by Russia in March 2014
Main photo source: MAXIM SHIPENKOV/EPA/PAP