Russian fighter jet crashes into sea with pilot ‘on his first combat mission’ ejected to stunned tourists near Ukrainian war zone

A Russian Su-25 fighter jet crashed into the sea shortly before the newly qualified pilot jumped out of the doomed plane in front of astonished tourists close to the Ukrainian front lines.

Unverified videos on social media appear to show the stricken fighter jet traveling at high speed at a dangerously low altitude before crashing into the Sea of ​​Azov near the Russian city of Yeysk.

At the moment of impact, a huge plume of water is seen rising toward the sky, as tourists on a nearby beach watched in stunned silence.

Seconds before the fighter jet crashed into the sea, the video appeared to show the young pilot jumping from the fighter jet as his parachute descended over the water.

Reports from pro-war channels said the Russian pilot was on his first combat mission when he crashed into the sea.

Unverified social media videos appear to show the stricken fighter jet traveling at a dangerously low altitude at high speed before crashing into the sea near the Russian city of Yeysk

Seconds before the fighter jet crashed into the Sea of ​​Asov, the video appeared to show the young pilot jumping from the fighter jet as his parachute descended over the water (circled)

Officials from Russia’s Krasnodar region said the pilot, who has not been named, was rescued from the water near the town of Yeysk, which is opposite the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

When the pilot jumped out of the plane, his parachute lines reportedly got tangled and he nearly drowned, but rescuers reached him just in time.

Local media claimed the pilot was found unconscious and medics tried to resuscitate him in the ambulance, while other reports said he was in critical condition.

The pilot was reportedly rushed to the emergency department of a local hospital, where doctors are now fighting to save his life.

The crashed SU-25 protruded from the shallows of the popular tourist beach in the Kradnodar region after the crash, local media reported.

Earlier reports said a ‘technical malfunction’ was the cause of the crash, but this is the standard Russian explanation for any air disaster.

The cause was also given as ‘engine failure’ – but this is before investigators spoke to the pilot.

The plane ran into problems shortly after taking off from a military airfield in the city.

One theory was that the pilot delayed ejection to divert the plane away from homes and people.

Earlier in the day, suspected Ukrainian naval drones exploded on the bridge connecting annexed Crimea to the Krasnodar region.

In October last year, a Su-34 crashed next to a residential block and set it on fire, killing 15 people and injuring dozens.

A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed next to an apartment building in the city of Yeysk last October, the building catching fire as the pilots flew out of the plane (circled)

Video showed one of the pilots on the ground and still attached to his parachute shortly after the crash

It slammed into the ground in front of an apartment building, flooding the building with burning fuel and killing 15 people.

Both pilots ejected safely, with footage showing one of them on the ground nearby, still attached to his parachute.

The Sukhoi 34 fighter jet had been taking off from an airfield in the southern Russian city of Yeysk, near the border with Ukraine, as part of a training exercise when it crashed from the sky moments later with one engine on fire.

The Russian military said the pilots were training when the crash occurred and the stranded pilot can be heard denying the plane was shot down as people try to help him.

The Russians blamed a “technical glitch” for the fireball crash.