Russian military plane bursts into flames and crashes into a lake in region bordering Finland
- Law enforcement agencies reported the crash, according to Russian state news
- The crash was reported to have happened in Murmansk in Russia’s northwest
A Russian military plane crashed in the northern Murmansk region after catching fire, the TASS news agency said on Wednesday, citing law enforcement agencies.
According to preliminary data, the plane fell into a lake, it added.
Videos emerged online purportedly showing the jet moments before the crash.
They showed what was said to be a MIG-31 fighter soaring overhead with flames and smoke streaking behind it, before disappearing out of view behind a treeline.
Murmansk is a region in the arctic circle on Russia’s Kola Peninsula in its far-northwest. It borders both Norway and Finland – both members of NATO.
Moscow has a large military presence stationed on the peninsula, while Russian military bases there house the world’s largest concentration of nuclear weapons.
The crash is the latest calamity to befall a Russian aircraft, after one of Vladimir Putin’s warplanes accidentally bombed the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border last week in a humiliating blunder.
The crash also comes after Russia and China on Wednesday morning signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening maritime law enforcement cooperation – in the same region where the plane crashed.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…
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