A Russian military jet crashed during a training flight in North Ossetia, killing two people on board, the defence ministry said Tuesday.

The Sukhoi SU-34 jet crashed “in a mountainous zone” and there was “no damage on the ground”, the ministry said, adding that a technical problem appeared to have caused the crash.

It comes amid an increase in aircraft accidents in Russia, attributed to sanctions imposed on Russia leading to a shortage of necessary parts.

North Ossetia, which borders ex-Soviet Georgia, is about 500 miles from the front line in Ukraine.

On June 8, regional authorities said Ukraine targeted a military airfield near the town of Mozdok with drones but three of them were shot down. It was the first such attack in North Ossetia since the special military operation launched by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.

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