Ukrainian MiG-29 crashes during combat mission, Air Force says, pilot ejects safely
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A Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet crashed overnight on June 27 while carrying out a combat mission in Poltava Oblast after communication with the aircraft was lost, Ukraine's Air Force reported.
The pilot successfully ejected and was located by a search-and-rescue team, which evacuated him to a medical facility for examination and treatment.
"The causes and circumstances are being investigated," the Air Force said.
The military did not provide details about the mission or specify what led to the loss of communication.
The MiG-29 is a Soviet-designed twin-engine multirole fighter developed in the 1970s and introduced into service in the early 1980s. Ukraine continues to operate the aircraft in upgraded configurations for air defense and strike missions as part of its combat aviation fleet.
The incident comes less than two weeks after a fatal accident involving Ukraine's military aviation.
A Ukrainian Su-24 front-line bomber crashed in Khmelnytskyi Oblast on the evening of June 16 while conducting a combat mission, according to the Air Force.
Ukraine has continued to rely heavily on its Soviet-era combat aircraft throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, while gradually integrating Western-supplied fighter jets into its air force.
