2023 Bryansk Oblast military aircraft crashes

On the morning of 13 May 2023, an air group of four aircraft of the Russian Air Force crashed almost simultaneously in the Bryansk Oblast of Russia: two Mi-8 helicopters, a Su-34 fighter-bomber and a Su-35 fighter. According to Baza, nine people were killed: three crew members each in two Mi-8s, two Su-34 pilots and a Su-35 pilot.

The incident occurred on the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Kommersant, the group was heading to bomb Chernihiv Oblast in Ukraine.

Background

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops repeatedly shelled the Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts of Ukraine, as well as the city of Kharkiv bordering Russia. At the same time, the heads of western Russian provinces, Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk oblasts, regularly announced supposed artillery shelling and attacks against the regions.

On the eve of the incident in Bryansk Oblast, on 12 May, a Russian military helicopter Mi-28 crashed in the Dzhankoi Raion of the Russian-annexed Crimea.

Incident

According to Kommersant, the fallen aircraft were part of the same aviation group. The fighters were supposed to launch a missile strike on Ukraine's Chernihiv Oblast, while the helicopters were to "insure" the aircrews were safe and to make sure the Russian soldiers did not get shot down by the Ukrainian forces.

According to Russian military officers, both Mi-8 helicopters crashed over Klintsy, while the Su-34 and Su-35 fighters crashed near the border with Ukraine in the Starodubsky District. According to Russian authorities, the incident injured a civilian woman and damaged five households on the ground.

It was reported that one of the downed helicopters was a rare modification, Mi-8MTPR-1. Helicopters of this type are equipped with the Rychag-AV electronic warfare system, which was used to detect enemy radar stations and install radar jamming.