Two advanced Su-35 fighter jets collided mid-air and crashed in Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to a report by journalist Asaf Rozentsweig. The incident occurred Monday evening. The Zioneer previously released an image of one of the crashed jets, citing Russian media reports of a mid-air collision.
Journalist Asaf Rozentsweig has confirmed that two Russian Su-35 fighter jets collided mid-air and crashed in Kursk Oblast on Monday evening. The confirmation adds an independent source to the incident, which was first reported by Russian media and subsequently documented by The Zioneer Intelligence Desk with an image of the wreckage.
The story unfolded Monday evening. Initial reports at 21:22 Jerusalem time suggested the aircraft had been shot down in a surface-to-air missile ambush. Within a short period, Russian media corrected the account, stating the crash resulted from a mid-air collision. At 22:55 Jerusalem, The Zioneer released an image of one of the crashed jets, citing Russian reports of the collision. Now, Rozentsweig's report independently corroborates the collision account.
The Su-35 is a premier Russian fourth-generation multirole fighter, a key asset of the Russian Aerospace Forces. As The Zioneer has previously reported, Su-35s have been lost in combat, including a shootdown in Zaporizhzhia in July 2026. The loss of two advanced aircraft in a single incident represents a significant operational setback.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. The fate of the pilots has not been confirmed. No official statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense has been issued at this time.
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