Shocking videos and images shared on social media show a Russian military plane hurtling towards the ground while engulfed in flames.
A military plane crashed into the sea near Sevastopol, a Crimean city, at around 3pm GMT (6pm local time), Russian state news agency RIA Novosti has reported.
Citing the Russian-imposed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the news outlet added the pilot had managed to eject the aircraft and was brought to safety by rescuers.
No civilian infrastructure was damaged by the crash, the governor added.
An early report by Telegram channel Fighterbomber claimed the plane was a Su-35 military fighter. Another channel, 112, also mentioned the aircraft could be a Su-35.
The Fighterbomber and VChK-OGPU channels also alleged the £67million plane could have been erroneously shot down by a Russian air defence system.
Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by the Kremlin in 2014.
Since 2018, the peninsula has been linked to mainland Russia through Kerch Bridge – an infrastructure that became the target of Ukrainian attacks following the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine ordered by Moscow in February 2022.
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