Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that Ukraine lost its first French Mirage 2000 fighter jet in a crash, during which the pilot safely ejected from the aircraft.
اضافة اعلان
In a speech published on the presidential website early Wednesday, Zelensky said:
“Unfortunately, we lost one of our fighter jets. A French aircraft, highly effective—one of our Mirage jets,” confirming that “the pilot managed to eject and the plane was not shot down by the Russians.”
The Ukrainian Air Force stated in a separate announcement that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening and “did not cause any injuries on the ground.”
The statement added: “The pilot reported a malfunction in the flight equipment to the flight director. He then acted professionally, as expected in emergency situations, and successfully parachuted.”
The crash marks another setback for the Ukrainian military, which is already grappling with a shortage of air defense capabilities needed to counter Russian attacks.
Ukrainian pilots and mechanics have been training in eastern France to operate the Mirage 2000 fighter jets—designed by Dassault Aviation—which Kyiv began receiving earlier this year as part of a French military aid package.
Source: AFP
