An Su-25 attack aircraft has crashed while returning to its home airfield in the Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Thursday.

"After completing a combat mission while returning to its home airfield in the Belgorod region, an Su-25 aircraft of the Russian Air Force crashed. The pilot died," the ministry said.

They specified that the plane fell in an uninhabited area, there was no damage on the ground. "According to preliminary data, the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction," the ministry said.