Video footage published over the weekend on the Telegram channel of the pro-Kremlin milblogger Kirill Fedorov and shared by Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko on Monday shows a stricken Russian fighter aircraft falling out of the sky towards a blanket of thick clouds, an engine apparently on fire.
The aircraft is too far away to definitively identify the type, but its silhouette is characteristic of the Sukhoi Su-27 multirole fighter (NATO: Flanker) or one of its modernized and upgraded derivatives, the Su-30 / Su-35 fighter or Su-34 tactical bomber; all of which have been deployed during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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After a few seconds the camera turns to show the pilot in helmet, visor and oxygen mask dangling from his chute. As he descends, he tears off his oxygen mask, his face blurred to prevent identification, and screams “They f***ing shot us down!”
It is not exactly clear when and where the video was taken, nor who exactly “they” were. According to a BBC report earlier this year almost 350 Russian fighters, ground attack aircraft and tactical bombers have been shot down over the battlefield during the last two and a half years. These have been by both Ukrainian air defense assets and “friendly fire” incidents.
A video appeared online of a Russian pilot who was shot down but managed to eject. He filmed his and his aircraft's fall on his phone.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 5, 2024
As the ejection occurred above the clouds and at a considerable altitude, it could either be the pilot of a Su-30/Su-35 fighter or a Su-34… pic.twitter.com/dwYpgLUlmI
The pilot seems calm, which suggests the aircraft came down over Russian controlled areas and Fedorov claims the pilot survived and was preparing to fly further combat missions.
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The clip was posted as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that the long-promised US-made F-16 fighter aircraft had arrived and were preparing to start combat missions.
Standing at an unnamed airfield flanked by two of the fighters as two more buzzed overhead Zelensky said, “F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it. I am proud of our guys who are mastering these jets and have already started using them for our country.”
The arrival of the F-16s is seen by Ukraine as a vital upgrade to its Air Force and air defense capabilities, even though many consider their arrival too little, too late and unlikely to prove a turning point in the war.
That said, the Lockheed Martin built F-16 is a considerable step forward from the aging Soviet-era systems Ukraine has had to rely on thus far which, despite their numerical inferiority, have acquitted themselves well against Russia’s Aerospace forces.
With its 20mm cannon and ability to carry almost every type of NATO-standard aerial bombs, rockets and missiles they will be a valuable addition Ukraine’s air forces, particularly in air defense against the Russian missile and drone onslaughts that Ukraine is subjected to.
NATO released a video on X/Twitter to coincide with the arrival of the F-16s that showed Ukrainian pilots and technicians undergoing training on the fighters in Denmark. It shows one of the pilots singing the praises of the F-16 in comparison with the Soviet-era aircraft he had previously flown.
F-16s have arrived in Ukraine 🇺🇦
— NATO (@NATO) August 6, 2024
Look back at Danish instructors training Ukrainian pilots, technicians and ground crew how to fly and maintain the fighter jets ↓#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/dQSLoCalLi
He said that, although flying a MiG “wasn’t super-boring, the F-16 is definitely more agile. It moves very easily.”
He added that he felt very proud not only for himself but for all of the guys and for what they were now doing, adding: “I know how much work has been done to have this opportunity.”
Major General Jan Dam, Chief of the Royal Danish Air Force, commented that the F-16s, even though they are a relatively old model, have been modernized several times.
He said, “Now it’s a very modern aircraft, comparable with the best Western fighter jets.”
Arrival of the F-16s for Ukraine, which are being donated by Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway, will be gradually delivered over the coming months.
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