The Russian Ministry of Defense said a Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed on 1 July during a scheduled training flight in the Nizhny Novgorod region, about 350 kilometres east of Moscow. The jet came down in a forested area near the village of Veletma, close to the town of Kulebaki and roughly 12 kilometres from the Savasleyka airbase. Both pilots ejected; one was hospitalised with leg injuries while the second was located later in the day, according to ministry and emergency-services statements. No casualties or damage were reported on the ground. Officials said a landing-gear malfunction during the landing approach forced the crew to abandon the aircraft. Early local reports had misidentified the plane as a Su-27 before the defense ministry clarified the model. The accident adds to a series of recent non-combat losses involving Russian combat aircraft, including several Su-34s reported downed or damaged in the past week.