Ukrainian pilot dies after MiG-29 fighter shot down by Russian missile

A Ukrainian pilot has died after his MiG-29 fighter jet was shot down by a Russian missile whilst performing a combat mission in eastern Ukraine, the country’s Air Force said on Oct. 1.

The pilot, Captain Marat Redvanovych Mambetov, ejected but did not survive, the Air Force said in a statement on social media.

Mambetov, who was 25 years old, served as a flight commander in the “Ghost of Kyiv” 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

The brigade, based at Vasylkiv Air Base in Kyiv Oblast, flies part of Ukraine’s ageing fleet of Soviet-era Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets.

“We express our sincere condolences to Marat’s family and friends, he defended Ukraine until his last breath,” the Air Force said.