The Ukrainian Air Force lost a MiG-29 during a combat mission over Odesa Oblast in southern Ukraine on Monday evening after an air-to-air missile launch incident set the fighter on fire. The pilot ejected safely and was taken for medical evaluation, while the State Bureau of Investigation opened a pre-trial inquiry into the loss and the search for the aircraft’s flight recorder began.
Preliminary information indicates the jet became uncontrollable during the missile launch sequence before the pilot bailed out. The aircraft was operating on a live combat task, not a training sortie, and the mission took place in the Berezivka district. Authorities have not identified the weapon involved, and the cause remains under investigation.
The loss is operationally significant for Ukraine’s fighter fleet, which continues to support air-defence and counter-UAS missions under wartime conditions. Secondary coverage described the aircraft as destroyed, but the official confirmation to date is the loss of the MiG-29 and the survival of the pilot.