Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed reports on Thursday that a Su-27 fighter aircraft had crashed outside Moscow, killing its pilot

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed reports on Thursday that a Su-27 fighter aircraft had crashed outside Moscow, killing its pilot.

“On June 9 at 10:25 [local time, 07:35 GMT], a Su-27 belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed in the Moscow region while returning to the base airfield after a planned flight. The pilot died. The flight was conducted without ammunition, there is no destruction on the ground,” the ministry said in a statement.

A Defence Ministry commission was reported to be already working at the crash site to try to determine what happened.