A video circulating on social media shows the moment a Russian pilot filmed his combat jet crashing to earth after ejecting.
The footage, filmed by a pilot with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), was shared on Telegram by pro-Russian military blogger Kirill Fyodorov, who runs the pro-war blog War, History and Guns.
Russia’s Air Force has suffered extensive casualties throughout President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Defense Ministry for comment by email.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin visits the 344th Army Aviation Centre of aircrews combat training and transition in Torzhok in the Tver region on March 27, 2024. Russia’s Air Force has suffered extensive casualties throughout President Vladimir…
MIKHAIL METZEL/POOL/AFP/Getty Images
“Archived video of a VKS pilot, a few seconds after ejecting, pulling a device with ‘advanced multimedia capabilities’ out of his pocket. The device was in his pocket purely by chance and, of course, was used ‘only for combat operations,'” Fyodorov, who has over half a million subscribers, wrote.
The military blogger didn’t disclose which aircraft had been shot down, or when or where the video was filmed. The pilot survived, he said.
“P.s. I will not tell you the place and time of the shooting,” Fyodorov wrote. “P.p.p.s. The pilot is alive, safe, an eagle and is preparing to work on the Ukrainians!”
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.
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
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 5, 2024
The video was also shared on X, formerly, Twitter, by Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs.
“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,” he said.
“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 bomber. Judging by the calm behavior of the pilot, the plane was shot down deep in the Russian rear.”
Ukrainian forces have shot down a number of Russian jets throughout the war. The head of the United States European Command, General Christopher Cavoli, told U.S. lawmakers in April that Moscow had lost around 10 percent of its aircraft fleet in the war.
In February of this year, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said its military had downed six Russian fighter jets in just three days.
Dutch open-source intelligence defense analysis website Oryx has visually confirmed that 109 Russian aircraft have been destroyed and 12 damaged since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
Oryx has also visually confirmed that 93 Ukrainian aircraft have been destroyed since the beginning of the war, with three damaged and one captured.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in an update on Monday that Moscow has lost 365 aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Newsweek couldn’t independently verify Kyiv’s figures.
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