Russian Su-30 fighter crashes in Kaliningrad, pilots eject

A Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet crashed in the Kaliningrad region on October 21, 2026, during a scheduled training flight, the Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed.

The crew ejected and was recovered by a ground search and rescue team. The pilots’ lives are not in danger, according to a ministry statement carried by state news agency TASS. The aircraft was flying without ammunition and crashed in an uninhabited area.

Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea bordered by NATO members Lithuania and Poland, hosts several military airfields. Chernyakhovsk Air Base is home to the Baltic Fleet’s 4th Guards Naval Attack Aviation Regiment, which operates Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 fighters, while Chkalovsk Air Base hosts the 689th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, another operator of the Su-30SM2.

The reported crash site lies in the Chernyakhovsky district, where the Baltic Fleet’s Su-30s are based.

Russian media report both pilots injured

A Russian Su-30SM military aircraft has crashed in Kaliningrad region, Russian media report.

Both pilots managed to eject but have been hospitalized with injuries. https://t.co/7EbJn1xKZM— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) October 21, 2026

Russian media outlets, citing unnamed sources, identified the aircraft as a Su-30SM and claimed that both pilots had sustained injuries.

According to Izvestia, the aircraft went down between the villages of Timofeevka and Zeleny Bor. Both crew members are said to have ejected before the crash and been taken to hospital.

Previous Russian Su-30 crashes

The incident marks another Su-30 loss in Kaliningrad. On August 12, 2023, a Russian Su-30 crashed during a training flight in the region, killing both crew members. The Western Military District initially attributed the crash to a technical malfunction.

More recently, on November 13, 2025, another Su-30 crashed during a training flight in Russia’s Republic of Karelia, killing both pilots. On April 3, 2026, a Su-30 crashed in Russian-occupied Crimea, with both crew members ejecting.The post Russian Su-30 fighter crashes in Kaliningrad, pilots eject appeared first on AeroTime.

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