Russia mistakenly shot down one of its prized fighter jets, Ukraine's air force commander said.
Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk took to social media to say his forces were not responsible for downing a Russian Su-25 fighter jet over the Zaporizhzhia region in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, Business Insider reported Monday.
"I can say with confidence that it was not Ukrainian air defense that shot down the Russian attack aircraft Su -25! These are clear and coordinated actions of the Russian anti-aircraft fighters, for which they are greatly thanked by the entire Ukrainian people! (closed fist emoji) Keep it up!" Oleshchuk on Telegram.
Euromaidan Press reported that Russian military bloggers confirmed the Russian jet had been downed but blamed it on the bad weather and low visibility.
The Su-25, which flies at a relatively low altitude, is a jet aircraft used to support ground attacks. It is vulnerable to being detected by air defense systems, and a high number of the planes have been shot down in the war, Business Insider reported.
The Sun reported that the Su-25 jet is suspected to have been downed by a Russian Buk-M3 surface to air missile system.
The outlet also reported that the downing of the fighter jet came days after a Russian pilot nearly died in another embarrassing friendly fire near miss.
Video was posted to a pro-way Russian channel on the Telegram channel "Two Majors" with the following:
"Our warriors are people of unbridled courage. They are in such a rush to hit the enemy, that they do not look at what is happening around them. The footage is truly unique."
The 13-second clip showed one rocket launch from a small machine on the ground, followed by many others fired in quick succession, The Sun reported.
Russia has suffered "many" friendly fire incidents, the outlet noted.
Maj. Gen. Vladimir Zavadsky, 45 and a member of Russia's 14th Army Corps., recently was killed by one of his own land mines after being shot at with friendly mortar fire while driving a military vehicle captured from Ukrainians.
In November, footage appeared to show an Su-25 jet being downed in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, Newsweek reported.
The incident purportedly brought the tally of Russian aircraft lost since the beginning of Putin's full-scale invasion to 323, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces.
In September, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's prized $104 million fighter jets reportedly was blown out of the sky by his own troops.
In April, Russia acknowledged bombing one of its own cities near the Ukraine border by mistake.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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