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Ukraine has suffered the loss of its first French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jet, which crashed during a mission on Tuesday evening.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the incident, assuring that the pilot successfully ejected and survived the crash.
France only recently began supplying the supersonic Mirage aircraft to support Ukraine’s defence against persistent Russian aerial assaults.
“Regrettably, we lost one of our combat aircraft—a French Mirage jet, which has proven to be very effective,” Zelensky said during a televised address early on Wednesday. “The pilot ejected and was not shot down by the Russians.”
Credit: U.S. Air Force Photo/Staff Sgt. Eric Harris
According to a statement from Ukraine’s air force, the jet encountered technical difficulties while on a flight operation, prompting the pilot to report an equipment malfunction before safely ejecting. There were no injuries or casualties reported on the ground.
“The pilot acted professionally, as expected in such an emergency, and successfully parachuted to safety,” said the air force.
The crash represents a further setback for Ukraine’s military at a time when it continues to struggle with insufficient air defence systems in the face of sustained Russian missile and drone attacks.
Ukrainian personnel, including pilots and engineers, have been undergoing training in eastern France to operate the Mirage jets, which were upgraded specifically to counteract Russian electronic warfare tactics such as signal jamming.
