Overview

• The Su-25’s right wing separated midflight over Soledar in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on June 14, causing the attack jet to crash.
• The pilot activated his ejection seat moments before the wing detachment and was rescued by Russian ground forces under fire from Ukrainian drones, sustaining a broken arm.
• Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber cited destruction of the wing as the crash cause.
• Analysts including Yury Butusov attribute the structural failure to excessive overload and metal fatigue in Russia’s fleet of ageing Su-25 aircraft.
• A formal commission has been convened to determine the precise cause of the accident and assign responsibility.