'Import-substituted' passenger plane Superjet 100 crashes near Moscow
Photo: Superjet 100 (Getty Images)
In the Kolomna district of the Moscow region, a passenger plane Superjet 100 crashed. Three people were on board at the time of the crash, according to TASS.
According to an interlocutor from the Russian agency, the plane had been airborne for over an hour and was intended to fly to Vnukovo airport.
"It fell from a considerable altitude. Upon impact with the ground, it exploded and caught fire," he added.
Later, it was clarified that the plane crashed during a test flight following routine maintenance. Specifically, the aircraft was owned by Gazprom.
"The plane was built in 2014, transferred to Gazprom in 2015, and operated exclusively by them. It was leased," stated the TASS source.
According to the preliminary version, the plane crashed due to an engine failure.
It is likely that the entire crew of the plane perished. Currently, there is no information regarding other casualties.
Import substitution in Russia
As a result of sanctions and the exit of several companies from the Russian market, the adversary attempts to "fix" all its losses through so-called "import substitution." A large number of "domestic" technology or, for example, vehicles "announced" in Russia contain a significant portion of imported components. Due to low quality and high cost, Russian products cannot compete with foreign analogs. This, in turn, enhances the sense of Russia's isolation from the global market and worsens the well-being of the population.
In particular, "import substitution" is used by the Russian government as a propaganda tool to strengthen anti-Western sentiments and demonstrate the country's "self-sufficiency.
