The Russian Defense Ministry said one of the Su-34 bomber’s engines caught fire, causing it to crash into the port of Yeysk, which is on the Azov Sea from Russian-held territory in Ukraine. The fire engulfed several floors of a nine-story apartment building and at least 15 apartments were damaged, local authorities said. Russian news agencies reported that the two pilots ejected safely. Russian officials were quoted by news agencies as saying that six people were killed, six others were missing and 19 were injured, four of them seriously. About 250 people were evacuated, including 40 children. In this handout photo released by the Kooperativ Telegram Channel, flames and smoke rise from the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk (AP) Russian investigators said they had opened a criminal investigation into the crash. President Vladimir Putin was informed of the crash and ordered Benyamin Kondratiev, the regional governor, Alexander Kurenkov, the emergency situation minister, and Mikhail Murasko, the health minister, to fly to Yeisk to provide support, local media reported. Thick black smoke billows from the crash site (Ostorozhno News) “Emergency services are already working on the spot – all regional fire and rescue guards are involved in extinguishing the fire,” Mr. Kondratyev wrote on Telegram. Yeysk, a city of 90,000 with a large air base, is separated from Russian-claimed territory in southern Ukraine by a narrow stretch of the Sea of Azov. The Su-34 is a supersonic twin-engine bomber equipped with sophisticated sensors and weapons. It is a key strike element of the Russian air force that has been widely used during the wars in Syria and Ukraine. Firefighters are working at the scene of the crash (AP) Monday’s incident was the 10th recorded non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine eight months ago. Earlier on Monday, Russia launched waves of drone strikes in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, killing at least four. So-called “kamikaze” drones deployed by Iran hit residential buildings in the city’s central Shevchenko district, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
