A judge in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia has determined that the Russian Defense Ministry is responsible for damages resulting from a military jet crash in October 2022 that resulted in the deaths of 16 individuals, as reported by the Kommersant business newspaper on Wednesday.

The lawsuit was initiated by the relatives of an elderly woman who lost her life when a Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed into an apartment building in the port town of Yeysk on October 17, 2022.

The family filed a lawsuit against both the Defense Ministry and the United Strategic Command of the Eastern Military District, seeking financial compensation for damages and emotional suffering, according to Kommersant.

A lower court in Yeysk partially accepted the family’s claims last year but excluded the Defense Ministry from being named as a defendant.

However, the Krasnodar Regional Court has overturned that earlier ruling, asserting that the ministry holds “secondary liability” due to its oversight and financial support of its subordinate military units. This classification means that the ministry is obligated to provide compensation if the Eastern Military District fails to do so.

Kommersant’s report did not specify the compensation amount the family of the elderly woman was seeking.

In an unrelated case, a court in Yeysk reportedly awarded 500,000 rubles ($6,500) each to a mother and daughter injured in the crash, which was half of their requested amount.

Initially, at least six families sought compensation of up to 12 million rubles ($131,000) each from the Defense Ministry.

A criminal investigation into the crash concluded after investigators found that a flock of seagulls had been ingested by both engines of the Su-34, leading to the loss of control and subsequent crash of the aircraft.