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Six families are seeking reparations from the Russian military following the deadly crash of a fighter jet into a multi-story residential building in the Krasnodar Krai region near the Sea of Azov.
Knewz.com has learned that 14 people were killed and another 43 injured in the incident, and although the building has been fully restored, those affected are still grappling with the expenses and “moral damage.”
The Kremlin-aligned outlet Kommersant, citing an unnamed source, reported that three families have since received partial settlements ranging from $2,574 to $10,201.
Other affected parties demanded the equivalent of $13,0928 per person citing “violation of peace of mind, a feeling of horror, danger and fear for their lives, [and] for the lives of their children,” but the local Yeistk District Court countered, stating that the substantially smaller amounts of between $218 and $1,091 per person “met the requirements of reasonableness and fairness.”
A criminal case against the aircraft’s pilots and their military division, the Guards Bomber Aviation Mlavsky Regiment – who fought against the ruling – was dismissed due to the perceived “absence of a crime.”
The civil lawsuit stemmed from a crash on October 17, 2022, at about 6 PM local time when a Su-34 “fighter-bomber” crashed into a courtyard of a residential block. A fire started and was fueled by the aircraft’s fuel. The blaze then triggered the warplane’s ammunition.
As a result – along with those killed and injured – 140 apartments were “completely destroyed”.
The state responded with a criminal investigation into a “violation of flight rules,” and the regional government footed the bill for the building’s repairs.
The Kremlin media outlet claims that the affected residents were able to move back into their apartments in December 2023.
The pilots survived the crash. A statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed as much when it noted:
“According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the plane crash was the ignition of one of the engines during take-off. At the site of the crash of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential quarters, the plane’s fuel ignited.”
The local emergency services released an update on the situation around 30 minutes after the crash, saying:
“At 18:27, the fire level was declared to be No. 3. The fire broke out on the first through fifth floors of the residential building.”
The regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev weighed in on the incident:
“The fire engulfed several floors at once. Initially, 17 apartments were damaged. We have started setting up an aid station for the residents of the building, we will provide support to everyone,” he said.
As the situation developed, 100 people were evacuated from the vicinity. The death toll was established shortly after and it became apparent that children were among the dead.
