- WIADOMOŚCI
Not one but two Su-30s. Russia is losing elite pilots
On 21 October, the Russians lost not one, but two Su-30SM aircraft. In the second incident, two experienced aviators from the Russkije Witiazi (Russian Knights) aerobatic team were killed.
The loss of two Su-30 jets in accidents on the same day during two different training flights in different parts of the country is a significant coincidence. It was so remarkable that for a long time, a theory circulated that the crew who ejected in the Kaliningrad Oblast had died in hospital, which triggered a second wave of lamentation on Russian social media. However, nothing of the sort occurred.
The Su-30SM that crashed near the Polish border belonged to the Russian Navy. As seen in the video of the accident, it smashed into the ground in relatively good weather conditions. Meanwhile, the pilots—Colonel Oleg Yerofeyev and Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Kochetov from theRusskije Witiazi—served in the air force. As their aerobatic team reported, they encountered weather conditions so poor that no one could have been prepared for them. The implication was that even pilots as skilled as they were could not have managed. Indeed, they were among the elite; Col. Yerofeyev had 3,300 flight hours to his credit, and Lt. Col. Kochetov had 1,500.
On 21 October 2026, a Russian Air Force Su-30SM crashed during a trainig flight. The crew from the Russian Knights aerobatic team of the 237th Aviation Equipment Demonstration Center, polkovnik Oleg Yerofeyev and poodpolkovnik Vladimir Kochetov. did not survive. https://t.co/gnbmo9Zufc
— The Military Watch (@MarcinRogowsk14) October 24, 2026
The pilots’ obituary stated: “Every flight, regardless of whether it is a mission of national importance or training and the refinement of piloting skills, remains a responsible and dangerous undertaking”—indicating that the aircraft fell during a training flight as a result of a random occurrence.
Failures and losses of Russian aircraft point to the deteriorating state of combat aviation
The aforementioned coincidence, where aircraft crash in two different locations in Russia on the same day, may nevertheless point to the deteriorating state of Russian combat aviation. This is an aviation branch that, on paper, operates 1,100 combat aircraft, having conducted intensive warfare for nearly five years while receiving only 20–30 factory-new aircraft per year in return.
So far this year, six Russian tactical aircraft have fallen victim to accidents and catastrophes (plus one instance of friendly fire), as well as two strategic bombers (the Tu-96MS and Tu-22M3).
