Russian fighter jet bursts into flames before crashing into lake in latest humiliation for Putin | The Sun

A RUSSIAN fighter jet burst into flames and crashed in the latest humiliation for Vladimir Putin's tinpot military forces.

The MiG-31 Foxhound's engine caught fire before plunging into a lake in the Murmansk region of Russia.

Footage shows jet streaking fire and flying overhead as horrifying crowds watch on.

The warplane stays in the air as the jet of flame trails behind it, before it begins to plunge and disappears behind a nearby hill.

MiG-31s are two-seater relics of the Soviet Union – but remain a major part of the Russian Air Force.

The supersonic planes can be armed with the most advanced hypersonic "Dagger" missiles along with an arsenal of other cannons, bombs and rockets.

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With a top speed of 1,900mph – nearly Mach 3 – they can fly at altitudes of 82,000ft with a range of up to 3,400 miles.

Russian state media reports one of the plane's two jet engines exploded during a training exercise.

The pilot then lost control before the plane splashed down into a nearby lake.

Both crewmen in the two-seater aircraft are reported to have successfully ejected.

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"During the execution of a planned flight, one of the engines of the MiG-31 caught fire, after which it fell," a source told Tass.

"According to preliminary data, the plane crashed into the lake,

"The pilots probably ejected. Eyewitnesses say they saw two paratroopers in the crash area."

The crash occurred six miles from the city of Monchegorsk near the island of Rizh-Guba – some 200 miles from the border with Finland.

In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said: "On April 26, while performing a planned training flight in the Murmansk region, a MiG-31 fighter crashed.

"The plane crashed in a deserted place.

"Both pilots ejected. The pilots were promptly evacuated by a helicopter of the search and rescue service, nothing threatens their lives and health."

It comes just days after one of Putin's fighter planes bombed a Russian town by mistake.

Vlad's military has shown itself to be woefully incompetent since his twisted invasion of Ukraine in February.

The massive force been beaten back by the much smaller Ukrainian army with a staggering death toll as high as 188,000.

And there has been a flurry of crashes and military accidents completely away from the war in Ukraine.

Blunders have included an Su-34 fighter jet crashing into an apartment block killing 13 people in October,and a cargo plane crashing into powerlines killing four crewmen in June .

And meanwhile Vlad's prized aircraft carrier caught fire in December -with some experts suggesting it could never go to sea again without sinking to the bottom.

Russia invaded Ukraine last February – a conflict which has devolved into a grinding, brutal war.

It is believed some 188,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Putin's botched invasion.

And millions of Ukrainian civilians have endured untold misery as the Russians stole their homes and left cities devastated.

Despite the bloodshed, Kyiv is still standing strong against the Russians with backing from the West.

Putin foolishly believed his forces would be welcomed into Ukraine as liberators.

But instead, the initial attack ended in a disaster which saw his forces devastated and thrown back to Russia.

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Kyiv continues to call for more Western support to help them defeat Putin.

The world is now awaiting to see if Ukraine will mount its long expected counter offensive, with much of the fiercest fighting currently centred around the city of Bakhmut.

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