On February 8th, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down Russian Su-25 in the area of Dzerzhinsk (former Toretsk) in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The attack was confirmed by the footage.
Ukrainian military sources reported that forces of the 28th Air Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spotted two Russian aircraft in the area. One of Ukrainian soldiers attacked the target with the Soviet-made Igla man-portable surface-to-air missile system. One of the aircraft, Russian Su-25 fighter fell and exploded.
The footage shared by Ukrainian military sources was cut and the moment of the strike was not shown. Most likely Ukrainian propaganda tried to hide the fact that Russian pilot timely ejected and was evacuated by Russian forces.
Immediately after the attack, Russian rescue team of two helicopters Mi-24 and Mi-8 with evacuation group on board appeared in the sky. They circled in the area and spotted the pilot in the grey zone. He is seen walking to the helicopter, while fighters were controlling the area.
Ukrainian UAVs attempted strikes on the helicopters but failed to inflict any damage. Ukrainian fire forced the Mi-8 helicopter to escape from the grey zone. The pilot accompanied by members of the evacuation team went on foot to Russian military positions located nearby.
It was a dangerous evacuation operation that ended successfully. The pilot was saved and taken to a hospital.
