The shooting down of a Russian warplane by Ukrainian fighters has gone viral on social media as President Vladimir Putin continues his brutal assault in Donetsk.
The viral footage, taken near the city of Toretsk which has been the subject of every fighting, shows the £11 million Su-25 plane smashing into the ground in the village of Zaitsevo after being hit by a Ukrainian shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile.
Some time later, a Russian helicopter can be seen coming to the aid of the plane’s pilot after he ejected and took cover in nearby woodland.
Reports from the Ukrainian forces indicate that the helicopter was subsequently targeted by “radio-electronic warfare” and FPV drones with aerial detonation, causing significant damage.
A Ukrainian report said: “The Mi-8 helicopter tried to evacuate the pilot, but the FPV crews did not allow him to do so. As a result, the helicopter limped back and needs repair.”
Russian source Fighterbomber Telegram channel reported: “Yes, we lost the plane. It happens. The pilot is in hospital, everything is fine.”
The city of Toretsk is one of several cities in the Donetsk region being subjected to serious Russian assaults due to its key strategic location.
The Donetsk region has seen some of the heaviest fighting of the entire theatre of war in the last year, contributing significantly to Russian casualties that have consistently averaged more than 1,500 soldiers every day.
Russia’s offensive in the region has seen the majority of the city fall into Putin’s hands according to the Institute for the Study of War, with Russia’s Defence Ministry saying on Friday that it had captured the strategic coal-mining city.
The claim has been dismissed by Ukraine who say that fighting is still ongoing on the city’s outskirts, with several counterattacks having been launched against Russia forces.
The city has long been a Russian target due to its geographic location on high ground which allows it to disrupt Ukrainian logistic operations as well as to link up with other key logistical hubs in places such as Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka to the northwest and Pokrovsk further west.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s military said in a statement that Russia forces had launched 10 attacks on its positions in Toretsk.
It read: “The occupiers’ main efforts in attacks were concentrated near the city of Toretsk, Ukrainian servicemen repelled all enemy attacks.”
