MOSCOW: Russia’s air force commander grounded all of the country’s MiG-29 fighter jets on Friday after one of the aircraft crashed in eastern Siberia, the defence ministry said.

The pilot died when the jet crashed near the Domna airfield in the Chita region at 0612 Moscow time (0312 GMT), the defence ministry said on its website.

“Air Forces Commander Col-Gen Alexander Zelin ordered the suspension of MiG-29 flights until all the circumstances of the accident have been clarified,” the statement said.

A MiG-29 fighter crashed near the same airfield in October.

The pilot ejected before the crash and survived.

The MiG-29, which is codenamed Fulcrum by Nato, is one of Russia’s most advanced military jets. The 4th generation fighter was designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role.—Reuters