Kiev reports loss of fighter jet during Russian drone attack (VIDEO)

The Ukrainian Air Force has lost a Su-27 aircraft under unclear circumstances

Kiev’s air force reported on Monday that it had lost a Su-27 fighter jet in a Russian drone strike.

The incident occurred earlier in the day when the fighter was performing a “complex combat mission” to provide air support to ground troops and repel “strike UAVs,” the air force said in a statement. It did not elaborate on the type of drones involved in the attack or specify where the aircraft was destroyed, stating only that its pilot managed to eject but ended up hospitalized.

Russian media reports suggest that the Ukrainian aircraft was destroyed while chasing Geran-2 kamikaze drones, the long-range delta-wing UAVs Moscow uses in installation strikes deep beyond the front line. These have become a key supplement for long-range missile strikes, and are also actively used in large swarms without other forms of weaponry to take out targets.

It was not immediately clear whether the drones were directly involved in the downing of the warplane or it took ground fire from Ukraine’s own anti-aircraft defenses. Kiev only said a special commission has been set up to determine the circumstances.

Unverified footage circulating online reportedly shows the destruction of the aircraft. The plane becomes engulfed in flames and is seen descending towards a hilly wooded area in a flat spin.

During the conflict, several Ukrainian fighter jets have been destroyed while chasing Geran-2 drones. The first such incident occurred in October 2022, when a Ukrainian MiG-29 was downed. The plane’s pilot attacked the drone with an autocannon, blowing it up. However, the jet was caught in the blast, which critically damaged its cockpit, and crashed. 

Another MiG-29 was shot down by Ukraine’s own anti-aircraft defenses while chasing a Geran-2 in February 2023. In all the aforementioned incidents, the pilots managed to eject safely and survive their encounters with the drones.