Russia’s airforce is “collapsing” from within due to poor maintenance and a lack of spare parts. Deadly crashes far from the frontlines are on the rise, killing pilots and senior aviation engineers, as well as destroying helicopters and fighter jets.

A series of self-inflicted disasters is indicative of a growing crisis that is sowing fear and panic among the ranks. The catalogue of recent aviation incidents shows a consistent pattern of basic failures. In the past few months, a Su-35 crashed while landing at Kubinka after being scrambled to counter a Ukrainian drone attack.

A Mig-31 in the Lipetsk region went down after its landing gear malfunctioned mid-flight, with both pilots severely injured despite ejecting.

While a Su-30SM in Karelia failed to land properly, killing both crewmen. None of the planes were shot down by Ukrainian forces, and crashed due to technical malfunctions during routine flights.

The failures have kept coming thick and fast, with one of the latest involving a 50-year-old Antonov 22 heavy military transport plane.

During a post-repair flight, the An-22 literally broke apart midair over the Ivanovo region, falling into a local reservoir.

The An-22 crash came one day after two Su-34 bomber pilots were killed immediately after their ejection seats suddenly activated while they were inside a hangar.

The gruesome scene was captured by security cameras, which showed the moment they were catapulted towards the hangar’s ceiling.

The technical failures have not been confined to military planes, with Russia’s helicopter fleet suffering a similar fate.

A Ka-52 accident destroyed the helicopter along with killing its crew, while another crash occurred in Dagestan when a Ka-226 carrying senior engineering specialists fell from the sky.

Among the dead were the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant’s chief engineer, chief instructor for construction, and the deputy director.

The litany of accidents indicates that Russia is struggling to maintain its air fleet, as western sanctions make it difficult for the Kremlin to source vital electronic parts.