A Russian SU-25 fighter pilot reportedly shot down his wingman in a friendly fire incident. The unfortunate mishap happened on Friday near Soledar in the occupied Donetsk region during a routine mission.
Russian military sources confirmed the SU-25 went down, but said the pilot survived. Reports also suggested that there was no evidence that the fighter jet was brought down by hostile fire.
The incident was captured on video as it unfolded in real time, and was later shared to social media channels.
Images show two SU-25s swooping low across the horizon, when one of the fighter jets fires a missile.
The missile launch occurred on the left side and hits the plane in front, appearing to hit its right wing.
Seconds later the jet bursts into flames, before plummeting towards the ground. No parachute is visible in the clip.
The Russian airforce has now lost 39 SU-25s that can cost as much as £15 million to manufacture.
Several of these fighters crashed due to technical failures, suggesting a reliability issue.
In March this year, a jet went down during a training flight in Russia’s Primorsky Krai after both engines failed.
In 2023, two Su-25s were lost to technical issues — one fell into the Sea of Azov during a combat sortie, and another crashed in Belgorod Oblast.
A similar crash occurred in September 2022, when a Su-25 went down right after takeoff due to control failure during a combat mission.
The Su-25 is a Soviet-designed close-air support aircraft developed by Sukhoi in the late 1970s.
It can climb at a rate of 58m/s and has a maximum speed of 950km/h (590 miles per hour).
The aircraft has been widely used in other conflicts, including in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
