Troops from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)successfully shot down a Russian Su-25 (NATO: Frogfoot) fighter aircraft in the Donetsk region.
The incident took place in the area of Kramatorsk, where fighters from the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, known as the Knights of the Winter Campaign, successfully targeted the aircraft using man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) missiles.
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The downing of the Su-25 was confirmed by Lieutenant General Olexandr Pavlyuk, Commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine.
“The anti-aircraft gunners of the Ground Forces once again demonstrated the highest skill - the enemy Su-25 was destroyed,” Pavlyuk stated on his official Telegram channel.
The brigade's press service provided additional details, reporting that the Su-25 was hit while flying over an active front line. After being struck, the aircraft began to emit smoke, caught fire, and eventually crashed to the ground.
The fate of the Russian crew remains unknown, but the destruction of the aircraft is seen as another significant reduction to the threat to Ukrainian ground forces in the area.
Footage of the incident was captured moments after the Su-25 was hit by the brigade's fighters:
The Su-25 is a ground-attack aircraft originally designed over 50 years ago in the Soviet Union to provide close air support for Soviet Ground Forces. The first models made their maiden flights in 1975.
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Since the start of the war, the Su-25 has been a workhorse for both Russian and Ukrainian forces, often engaged in low-altitude operations in support of ground troops.
On July 23, Ukrainian forces successfully shot down another Russian Su-25 near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
As of Aug. 28, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Facebook that Ukrainian forces had destroyed 368 Russian military aircraft during the current full-scale war, underscoring the intense air combat and the heavy losses incurred by Russia.
This latest success adds to a series of recent achievements by Ukrainian air defense units. On Aug. 26, Ukrainian forces using Danish-supplied multi-role fighters successfully intercepted and shot down Russian cruise missiles.
This operation occurred just three weeks after Ukraine received the first of 85 promised F-16 fighter jets from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, significantly enhancing Ukraine’s aerial defense capabilities.
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