Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
The official Twitter handle of the Russian defence ministry released a video of a fighter jet claiming that the pilot of the Sukhoi Su-25 (NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) attack aircraft managed to land the plane after being hit by a Ukrainian MANPADS missile.
The video posted by Russian MOD shows the aircraft with damages apparently caused by a MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense System).
The aircraft can be seen hit on the rear right-hand side of the fuselage and the video shows the jet being towed.
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Russian state-owned Zvezda posted on Telegram, “While performing a combat mission in Ukraine, the Su-25 was hit by a missile fired from the ground by their military.”
DefenseWorld.net reported that the Su-25 was flying with another jet. Meanwhile, reports have stated that at least six Su-25s have been confirmed lost in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24.
The report shows two crucial sides; one is the threat caused by MANPADS operated by the Ukrainian forces to all Russian aircraft operating at medium and low altitudes, and the second is the damage tolerance of the Su-25.
Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.
Watch the video here:
While uploading the video on YouTube, the defence ministry detailed the incident in Russian, which can be loosely translated in English as:
“While performing a combat mission in the zone of a special military operation, the Su-25 attack aircraft, which is second in the pair, was hit by a missile from a man-portable air defense system fired from the ground by a serviceman of the armed forces of Ukraine. The pilot of the damaged aircraft, assessing the situation, decided to turn off the damaged engine and not leave the aircraft. The pilot of the leading (first) plane, Lt. Col. Denis Litvinov, realizing that the comrade’s plane could not withstand a second missile hit, covered it with his own plane.”
“The pilot of the second aircraft visually detected the launch of the second missile and, firing off flares, managed to divert the missile to the side.”
“During the landing approach, the pilot of the damaged Su-25 reported an avionics and control systems failure, but managed to land thanks to the assitance provided by the pilot covering him. The landing was uneventful. Thanks to the cold-blooded and skillful actions of the pilot Denis Litvinov, he managed to save the life of his friend and the combat aircraft.”
