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SukhoiSu-30MK (archive): According to Russian data, a technical malfunction led to the crash
Photo: AFP
A SukhoiSu-30 fighter jet crashed on Saturday during a training flight in the Kaliningrad region, killing the two pilots, according to RIA News. The state news agency cited information from the Russian Defense Ministry.
"The plane crashed in an abandoned area. The flight was carried out without ammunition on board. The crew of the aircraft died," the ministry said. A technical malfunction is assumed to be the cause of the crash. There was no further information at first.
Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave between the NATO states of Poland and Lithuania.
At the end of June, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) announced the permanent deployment of 4000,<> Bundeswehr soldiers to Lithuania to protect NATO's eastern flank. Lithuania's Deputy Foreign Minister Jonas Survila called on the German government to hurry in an interview with the "Welt am Sonntag": "We should now concentrate on agreeing on an ambitious and rapid timetable for the complete deployment," Survila explained. Vilnius is ready to "make significant investments in the infrastructure necessary to accommodate German troops."
The politician drew a historical comparison with regard to the war in Ukraine. "Today we feel like West Berlin during the Cold War: surrounded by aggressive neighbors from both the west, Kaliningrad, Russia, and from the east, Belarus." At that time, the security of West Berlin was ensured, among other things, by "the fact that a garrison the size of a US army brigade was stationed in the city, the Berlin Brigade. Today, we ask the Germans, both symbolically and practically, to contribute to security by permanently stationing a combat-ready German brigade in Lithuania," Survila said.
pbe/Reuters/AFP