Ukraine lost a MiG-29 fighter jet

Ukraine lost a MiG-29 fighter jet in the Odesa region, the pilot managed to eject. He was performing a combat mission — destroying enemy air targets.

This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to preliminary data, an emergency situation occurred during the launch of the rocket. After that, the plane caught fire and the pilot lost control. The causes of the incident are currently being established.

What is known about the losses of the Air Force

Since the start of the full-scale war with Russia, the Ukrainian Air Force has lost several fighter jets and professional pilots. In particular, in August 2023, pilot Andriy "Juice" Pilshchikov died, and two pilots also died in a plane crash in the Zhytomyr region.

In August 2024, Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes died while repelling a Russian attack. This was the first officially confirmed loss of an F-16 fighter jet by Ukraine.

After that, several air crashes were reported: on the night of August 23, 2025, the pilot of the MiG-29 fighter, Major Serhiy Bondar, was killed, and on December 17, the crew of a Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter was killed. Before that, at noon on December 8, 2025, on the eastern front while performing a combat mission on a Su-27 aircraft, Ukrainian pilot Yevgeny Ivanov was killed.

On June 16, a front-line Su-24M bomber crashed in the Khmelnytskyi region, killing the pilot and navigator. On July 29, an F-16 fighter jet crashed in the Poltava region, the pilot survived.

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