Ukraine: Russian Su-25 Hit by a MANPADS

The clip depicts a pair of low-flying objects, quite distant from the camera. Given the altitude, speed, flight path, and shape, one can certainly claim that it was a two-ship flight of Su-25 Frogfoots. The jets were travelling above fields, while a MANPADS missile had probably been launched from a road, or a location near a tree line, along the road. The missile hits the engine of the second jet that catches fire.

And this concludes the clip. The author tried to film the Su-25 impacting the ground, but it cannot be spotted in the clip. It is possible that the jet crashed in a place not visible to the camera, or it survived and made an RTB attempt. The Su-25 is known for its resilience and ruggedness, and there are documented examples of Frogfoots successfully returning to base even with one engine disabled. Damage as such may mean, however, that even with the jet surviving, it may be withdrawn for good.

This was not the case here. The Ukrainians have published drone footage depicting this event, in which the Su-25, with its engines on fire, crashes and explodes. Pilot’s chute is also visible, deploying in the air. The downing of the jet has been confirmed by the Russians, claiming the pilot has survived and that he was successfully extracted.

The shootdown was achieved by the Ukrainian 110th Mechanized Brigade, and it happened in Donbas, near Pokrovsk. This is the second Su-25 said to have been recently downed in the region. And one of a few destroyed in recent weeks. The downing of low-flying Su-25s, close to the frontline, but above controlled territory, is tough in documentation - which is proven by the movie clip recorded here.

In the early stages of the war, the Russians had 192 Su-25s in active service. According to Oryx Spioenkopp, at least 31 have been destroyed, and 2 have been damaged so far.