Yeysk, Russia- The death toll from a Su-34 fighter jet that hit an apartment block on Monday has increased to 13.
According to the Defense Ministry, the fighter jet fell from the sky on Monday evening after one of its engines caught fire during a training flight. Both pilots safely ejected, but the aircraft crashed just outside a nine-story building and exploded.
Images and videos of the crash’s aftermath showed smoke billowing and fire blazing in the residential area. A building, believed to house hundreds of people, was later engulfed in flames.
“According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the plane crash was the ignition of one of the engines during take-off. At the site of the crash of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential quarters, the plane’s fuel ignited,” said the Defense Ministry in a statement.
Moreso, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Krasnodar Krai region and the military Prosecutor’s Office of the Southern Military District, said officials have opened an investigation into the incident.
“The remains of the aircraft have been extinguished. The evacuation of residents of nearby houses has been cancelled and the fire has been contained,” said the head of the Krasnodar Krai region, Veniamin Kondratyev.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry has said a total of 110 Russians have returned home from Ukraine as part of a major prisoner exchange with Kyiv. The group includes 72 civilian sailors who have been held in Ukraine since February 2022.
In exchange, Moscow released 108 female soldiers to Ukraine. However, the Defense Ministry said two women slated for the exchange turned down the offer and said they would like to stay in Russia.
Earlier on Monday, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, announced the swap on social media. The exchange would have involved some 30 soldiers from various parts of Russia, including the DPR and the neighbouring Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), along with the civilian sailors.
Last Thursday, the two sides exchanged 20 Russian soldiers for an equal number of Ukrainian troops, according to officials from both nations.
The last major exchange took place in late September, when 55 Russian soldiers, including those from Donbas, were freed.
According to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, 215 Ukrainian soldiers were returned to their home country in the swap.
Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly swapped prisoners since the start of the conflict between the two neighbours in late February.
