MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. A combat trainer aircraft crashed during takeoff in the Moscow Region, with the pilot ejecting safely, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"A combat trainer aircraft crashed during takeoff in the Moscow Region on July 23. The pilot ejected, and his life is not in danger. The aircraft crashed in an uninhabited area, causing no damage on the ground," the statement reads.

The flight was carried out without ammunition. A technical malfunction of the aircraft has been identified as the preliminary cause of the crash, the ministry said.