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Russia Today
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine loses French-supplied fighter jet
The Ukrainian air force has reported the first loss of a French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jet in what officials described as an equipment failure on Tuesday evening. France pledged six of its 26 Mirage 2000 jets to Kiev as part of a multibillion-euro military aid program supporting Ukraine in its armed conflict with Russia. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the delivery of the first three jets in early February. Ukrainian media reported the crash occurred in the Volyn Region in western Ukraine, far from the front line. Video circulating online appeared to show the pilot descending by parachute. The Ukrainian military commended the pilot of the downed aircraft, saying he acted 'professionally' and safely ejected. Air Force public communications chief Yury Ignat said the unidentified pilot 'did everything to divert the aircraft to a safe place far from any settlement.'🇷🇺🇫🇷🇺🇦 First losses of French Mirage 2000 in Ukraine The fighter crashed due to engine failure. The French were delivering aircraft built in the 1980s to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which were modernized in the 2000s. 'Such incidents are common all over the world,' Ignat added. 'The important thing is the pilot is alive and well.' Ukraine has previously confirmed the loss of multiple US-made F-16 fighter jets in combat. While Kiev initially asserted that Western aircraft would provide a battlefield advantage, they have largely been used for intercepting Russian long-range missiles due to a shortage of air defense systems. The Mirage 2000 models sent by France are older and were scheduled for retirement by 2029. France also trained Ukrainian pilots to operate them. The Ukrainian military relies heavily on foreign aid to pay and equip its forces. Denis Shmigal, the former prime minister recently appointed defense minister in a government reshuffle, said this week the military would need at least $120 billion next year. He made the statement while addressing Ukrainian ambassadors, urging them to seek additional foreign support. Following a meeting with international arms donors Monday in Germany, Shmigal said Kiev faces a $6 billion shortfall in weapons procurement. Russia has condemned Western arms shipments, warning they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome.
Russia Today
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian Air Force admits modern Russian jets trump F-16s
Ukraine's Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets are outmatched by Russia's newer aircraft and missile systems, the head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yury Ignat, has said. Washington gave its NATO allies the green light to send their surplus US-made jets to Ukraine in 2023. 'We are getting Western equipment, we are getting aircraft. Today, we have F16s, we already have Mirages,' he said in an interview with the outlet Ukrainian Pravda published on Tuesday. 'They have already been in use. We understand that they are not the newest.' Ignat stressed the importance of the detection range of the jets' radar, and the strike range of its weapons. 'Unfortunately, Russia has planes today that see further, and missiles that shoot further. Even compared now with the F-16,' he said. Ukraine's older Soviet-era jets such as the MiG-29 and Su-27 are 'no comparison at all,' he added. 'It's like pitting a Makarov pistol against a sniper rifle.' The current modifications of the F-16 that Ukraine has 'cannot compete one-on-one in an air battle' with the newer Russian Su-35 multirole fighter, Ignat said in March. The total number of F-16s given to Kiev has not been released, but it is believed that Ukraine was given 18 last year. Three of the jets have been destroyed, Ignat has confirmed. Last month, Ignat admitted that US-designed Patriot air defense systems have also been struggling against Russian weapons. Russian Iskander cruise missiles 'perform evasive maneuvers' and drop decoy flares in their final approach phase, 'thwarting the Patriot's trajectory calculations,' he told Le Monde. Russia has repeatedly condemned the supplies of Western armaments to Kiev, stressing that they will not change the course of the conflict, and slammed F-16 deliveries as an escalation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that if jets taking part in the conflict take off from air bases outside Ukraine, Moscow would consider those bases to be hostile.
Russia Today
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kiev claims first combat use of French jets
Ukraine has deployed French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jets in combat for the first time, Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat announced on Friday. The aircraft were used overnight to counter a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the spokesman stated. Kiev received its first batch of fourth-generation jets from France last month. Last October, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed that Ukrainian pilots were being trained in France to operate the aircraft. In a Facebook post, Ignat claimed that the jets intercepted over 100 Russian drones and 34 missiles, while also preventing ten missiles from reaching their targets. Ukrainian army spokesman Dmitry Likhovi acknowledged the deployment, noting that the strikes coincided with the first large-scale Russian assault on Ukraine's infrastructure since Washington halted military aid in an effort to encourage negotiations with Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed carrying out an overnight strike on Ukrainian energy facilities that support Kiev's military-industrial complex. It stated that all intended targets were destroyed but did not address Ukraine's reported use of Mirage 2000 jets. The ministry also reported that Russian forces have conducted seven group strikes across Ukraine since early March, targeting military airfields, ammunition depots, and drone control centers. France initially announced plans to supply Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine last summer, but deliveries were repeatedly delayed. While the total number of aircraft provided remains undisclosed, Le Journal du Dimanche reported in October that Ukraine was expected to receive only six planes. Russian defense conglomerate Rostec has dismissed the Mirage 2000 as outdated, calling it 'significantly inferior' to modern Russian fighters. A company representative previously argued that the aircraft share structural vulnerabilities with US-made F-16s, limiting their effectiveness near the frontlines. The long-anticipated delivery of F-16s to Ukraine has had minimal impact on the battlefield, with Kiev losing its first jet during a maiden combat mission in September 2024, and reports of their operational use remaining scarce.
