Shocking footage has shown the moment a Russian fighter pilot was forced to eject from his jet after coming under attack from Ukrainian forces.
A clip circulating on social media seemingly filmed by the pilot showed the Russian jet flying in the air before cutting to a close-up of the Russian’s face as he descended to the ground via parachute.
Sharing the clip on X, former Advisor to Internal Affairs Minister in Ukraine, Anton Gerashenko, said: “A video appeared online of a Russian pilot who was shot down but managed to eject. He filmed his and his aircraft’s fall on his phone.
“As the ejection occurred above the clouds and at a considerable altitude, it could either be the pilot of a Su-30/Su-35 fighter or a Su-34 bomber. Judging by the calm behaviour of the pilot, the plane was shot down deep in the Russian rear.”
It is not known when the video was filmed and Express.co.uk could not verify it.
Ukraine‘s intelligence agency released satellite images on Monday showing evidence of a strike on Russian aircraft at the Morozovsk airfield.
They added: “The enemy’s aviation arsenal was completely destroyed – from the secondary detonation of Russian ammunition, large areas of burnt earth can be seen on the territory of the airfield and around it.
“Cosmic intelligence data show that on August 3 a Su-34 fighter bomber was destroyed as a result of fire damage to the military airfield.”
This comes as Ukraine begins deploying some of the 65 F-16 fighter jets given to Kyiv by NATO countries.
Reacting to the news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “F-16s are in Ukraine.
“We did it. I am proud of our guys who are mastering these jets and have already started using them for our country.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could consider launching strikes at facilities in NATO countries if the Western aircraft hits targets in Russia.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov once warned that F-16s flying for Ukraine would be “shot down”.
He said: “But of course, these deliveries will not have any significant impact on the development of events on the front.”