(File photo: Xinhua)

MOSCOW, March 25 (Xinhua) -- A Russian Su-27 fighter crashed in the Black Sea on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported, citing preliminary data.

"At around 20:10 Moscow time on March 25, a Su-27 fighter disappeared from radar during a scheduled mission over the Black Sea near Feodosia," the ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said.

"According to preliminary data, the fighter crashed into the sea," it said.

The search for the pilot is complicated by difficult weather conditions, it added.