Ukraine destroyed a Russian fighter jet and then ambushed a rescue helicopter trying to pluck the pilot to safety, it has been reported.
Footage released by Ukraine’s military showed what it said was a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 crashing into the ground amid a fierce fight in the Donetsk region.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
Why it is important
The incident reportedly took place around Toretsk and delivers a PR boost for Kyiv after Moscow reported that it had captured the Donetsk city, although Kyiv has rejected this claim.
What to know
Ukraine’s 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade released video footage on Saturday of what it said was the successful downing of a Russian Su-25 close air support (CAS) attack aircraft in the Toretsk sector, Donetsk region.
With the NATO reporting name Frogfoot, the Su-25 is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet designed to provide close air support for ground troops.
The brigade said that the aircraft was brought down near the settlement of Troitsk by one of its anti-aircraft missile unit, in coordination with the 57th Territorial Defense Battalion, with an Igla man-portable air defense (MANPAD) system.
As of Monday, the website Oryx, which tracks Russian losses using imagery as proof, said that Moscow had lost 136 aircraft, including 38 Su-25s.
Video showed the moments that the plane hit the ground and exploded and Ukrainian forces said that their FPV (first-person view) drones swarmed the Mi-8 helicopter as it tried to evacuate the pilot, who had ejected before the crash.
Ukrainian forces successfully shot down a Russian Su-25 on a strike mission near Toresk this morning. The Russian attack jet flipped over, nosed down, and slammed into Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/zwLkNti0Ac
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 8, 2025
The fate of the pilot is unclear with the Ukrainian statement saying that he had been left behind, although a prominent Russian military blogger, Fighterbomber, posting on Telegram next to the video said that he had in fact been taken to hospital.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday its forces had captured Toretsk and that Ukraine had suffered over 26,000 casualties and lost approximately 600 units of military equipment during the battle.
However, Nazar Voloshin, a Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group of Forces representative, told RBC-Ukraine that fighting in Toretsk is ongoing.
What people are saying
Ukraine’s 28th Mechanized Brigade: “The warriors of the 28th Brigade have destroyed an enemy Su-25 jet! One Russian fighter aircraft less on the Toretsk front thanks to our air defense forces. Ukrainian skies are becoming more secure!”
Pro-Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber: “Yes, we lost the plane. It happens. The pilot is in the hospital, everything is fine. Thanks to the infantry.”
What happens next
Russian forces are continuing their advances in the Toretsk direction according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on Sunday. These offensive operations include Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka, as Moscow pushes to control the whole of the Donetsk region.
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