"On 3 September, an Su-25UB aircraft crashed in the Stavropol region during a regular training flight. At the moment, search and rescue services are searching for the two pilots", the ministry said in a statement, specifying that the plane was not carrying weapons.
According to reports, the plane lost contact with its base prior to the accident; however, both pilots managed to eject themselves from the aircraft. In the meantime, emergency services have found the crash site about 38 km south-west of the city of Budyonnovsk, stating that the jet has been completely destroyed.
The military has also temporarily suspended Su-25 flights in southern Russia until the cause of the catastrophe is discovered.
The Sukhoi Su-25 Grach (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. The Su-25UB version, modified for training missions, has two seats. In total, Russia produced over 1,300 Su-25 planes of various modifications.