The MiG-29 jets crashed outside an air base in the town of Millerovo, the Rostov region (southern Russia), Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky, an air force spokesman, said.

The pilots, he said, ejected from their planes before the collision and had been retrieved by helicopters. One pilot received facial injuries, but the condition of both was stated to be “satisfactory”.

Neither of the planes was carrying weapons, and no destruction was reported on the ground.

The incident, which occurred at 7,000 metres above ground, came during ’planned flights’.

After ejecting, the pilots independently went to a village hospital and contacted the air base.

Russian military prosecutors said they opened a criminal investigation on charges of “violation of flight rules or preparations toward it”.

The MiG-29 is an interceptor, designed to intercept and attack enemy aircraft. It is one of the most widely flown fighter jets in the Russian air force.

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