Ukraine SBI says Ukrainian MiG-29 downed by Russian suicide drone
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Debris from a loitering munition drone struck a Ukrainian MiG-29K fighter jet, sending the aircraft hurling to the ground in flames.
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Debris of the downed MiG-29
A Ukrainian fighter jet crashed in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine on Wednesday, Kiev's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) confirmed on Thursday following reports on the matter.
"SBI officials are investigating the circumstances of the crash of a fighter jet in the Vinnytsia region, which took place at around 9 p.m. [18:00 GMT] on October 12, 2022, during an air raid alert," the SBI wrote on Telegram.
The fighter jet in question is a MiG-29K, which was sent out to intercept Shahed-136 loitering munition UAVs, according to the Ukrainian bureau.
Shahed 136 hit MiG 29 lmao https://t.co/MEdGQqevo8 pic.twitter.com/SO20A1TZHP
— ZOKA (@200_zoka) October 13, 2022
The SBI claimed that after the MiG-29K succeeded in destroying five "Shahed-136s", the jet collided with debris from a destroyed drone, which caused massive damage to it to the point where it crashed near a village in northeast Vinnytsia. The pilot managed to eject and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
Ukrainian media reported earlier in the day that two jets crashed on October 11-12 in Poltava. However, the crashes reportedly did not result in any civilian casualties.
Tonight Ukrainian MiG 29 tried to shoot down Shahed 136 over Vinnytsia.But MiG 29 went down not UAV. pic.twitter.com/98IDRWaMaI
— ZOKA (@200_zoka) October 12, 2022
The Russian armed forces have been conducting a vicious campaign over the past few days, which has seen Moscow shelling Ukraine and carrying out drone strikes, causing air raids to blare throughout the country, and leading to a highly tense atmosphere.
Russia carried out Monday strikes against infrastructure critical for the Ukrainian military, which happened to include facilities related to energy and connectivity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin explained the debacle by underlining that his country would not leave without response the crimes Kiev committed against Russian civilian infrastructure, primarily the explosion that took place on the Crimean bridge.
The Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee reported last week that a truck exploded on the Crimean Bridge early in the morning.
Read next: Russia's State Duma: Crimea Bridge blast "declaration of war"
"Ukrainian vandals managed to reach the Crimean Bridge with their bloody hands. They now have something to be proud of: for 23 years of their management, they failed to build anything worthy of attention in Crimea, but they managed to damage the canvas of the Russian bridge," said Vladimir Konstantinov, head of the Crimean parliament.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in August that the country would return to "Russian-occupied Crimea" whichever way it sees fit, without consulting with other countries.
