A Russian Su-25 (NATO reporting name: “Frogfoot”) attack aircraft from the Russian Aerospace Forces reportedly crashed on Friday, June 13, according to Russian military bloggers.
Russian blogger Ilya Tumanov, who runs the Fighterbomber aviation Telegram channel, reported the crash and said the pilot was successfully rescued and is safe. The cause of the incident and the exact crash location were not disclosed.
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Another Russian Telegram channel, Aviahub, also confirmed the loss and noted that the aircraft was not brought down by enemy fire.
Russian officials have not yet commented on the situation.
The publication Militarniy noted that Russia’s Su-25 fleet, which averages around 40 years old, has experienced a rising number of technical failures and emergency incidents. Throughout Russia’s war in Ukraine, many Su-25 losses have been the result of non-combat accidents.
For example, in March this year, a Su-25 was lost during a training flight in Russia’s Primorsky Krai after both engines reportedly failed mid-flight, according to Tumanov.
In 2023, two more Su-25s were lost due to technical malfunctions – one crashed into the Sea of Azov during a combat mission under unclear circumstances, while the other went down in Belgorod Oblast. Both pilots were killed.
In another incident in September 2022, a Su-25 crashed immediately after takeoff for a combat mission due to a control system failure.
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Low-altitude flying contributes to the high risk of accidents, as the aircraft often operate below the radar coverage of both Russian and Ukrainian air defense systems.
According to Militarniy, poor coordination between Russian aviation and its own air defense units has also led to friendly fire incidents against Su-25s.
Other unusual causes of Su-25 losses have included collisions with drones in mid-air and even hitting power lines during low-altitude flights.
Updated with a report of friendly fire between two Russian Su-25s
A video has surfaced on social media confirming the downing of a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft, reportedly the result of friendly fire near the occupied town of Soledar in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to pro-Russian military bloggers.
“The pilot is in the hospital with a broken arm. What exactly went wrong here, and who is to blame - this will be determined by the commission. Shit happens,” the Russian milblogger Fighterbomber wrote on Telegram.
The video he posted shows two Su-25s flying side by side before one of them suddenly fires a missile at the other. The targeted jet bursts into flames and crashes.
Despite the incident, Fighterbomber added, “the khokhlu [a derogatory term for Ukrainians] will answer for this,” claiming that Russian infantry rescued the downed pilot while under attack from Ukrainian FPV drones.
Ukrainian Telegram monitoring channel “Nikolaevsky Vanek” commented on the incident, writing:
“If the video circulating online is genuine, this is a real sensation. For the first time in the history of all armed forces, a Su-25 was shot down… by unguided rockets fired from another Su-25 of its own side.”
He added with sarcasm: “There really should be an award for this. What kind of idiots do you need to be to f**k up a jet like that?”
It should be noted, Ukrainian forces continue to target these aircraft. In early February 2025, Ukraine’s 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade shot down a Russian Su-25 near the settlement of Troitsk in the Toretsk sector, Donetsk region.
The aircraft was reportedly taken down by an Igla man-portable air defense (MANPAD) system.
Russian sources confirmed the loss and said a rescue mission was launched, but the Mi-8 helicopter sent to retrieve the pilot came under attack by three Ukrainian FPV drones.
According to the 28th Brigade, the helicopter returned severely damaged and in need of major repairs, and the pilot was ultimately left behind.
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