Ukraine loses MiG-29 fighter during combat mission; pilot ejects safely
A Ukrainian MiG-29 crashed during a night combat mission over Poltava region, the second military aircraft loss in Ukraine in less than two weeks. The pilot ejected and survived.
A Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 was lost during a combat sortie in the eastern Poltava region on the night of 26–27 June 2026. The pilot ejected successfully and was rescued. It is the most recent in a string of military aviation incidents stretching back to mid-2025.
The crash
Contact with the MiG-29 was lost while the aircraft was performing a combat task, the Ukrainian Air Force command said in a statement. The incident occurred amid a large-scale Russian drone attack overnight. The pilot managed to eject, contacted a search-and-rescue team, and was quickly transported to a medical facility for examination and necessary assistance.
We confirm the loss of the aircraft, however the Ukrainian pilot successfully ejected, established contact with the search-and-rescue team, and was quickly transported to a medical facility for examination and necessary assistance.
A pattern of losses
This is the second crash of a Ukrainian military aircraft in under two weeks. On 16 June, a Su-24M frontline bomber went down in the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine, killing its pilot and navigator. Earlier losses include a MiG-29 that crashed on approach after a combat mission in August 2025 (the 46-year-old pilot died), an F-16 lost while repelling a Russian attack in June 2025 (pilot killed), and a Mirage 2000 whose pilot ejected after reporting a malfunction on 23 July 2025 and was found stable.
- An F-16 crashed while repelling a Russian attack; the pilot died.
- A Mirage 2000 was lost after the pilot reported a malfunction; the pilot ejected and survived.
- A MiG-29 crashed on approach after a combat mission; the 46-year-old pilot died.
- A Su-24M frontline bomber went down in the Khmelnytskyi region; both crew members died.
- A MiG-29 lost contact during a night combat mission in Poltava; the pilot ejected and survived.
Russian claims of additional strikes
Russia’s defence ministry, via the TASS agency, asserted that its forces destroyed two Ukrainian MiG-29s at Voznesensk airfield in the Mykolaiv region using Geran-4 Seeker drones. Moscow published video footage purportedly showing the destruction of combat aircraft and ground equipment. Kyiv has not confirmed the claim.
Investigation and fleet future
The Air Force command has set up a special commission to determine the cause of the latest MiG-29 loss. Initial findings are not yet public; experts have not ruled out a technical malfunction or the impact of combat operations. In parallel, Polish-Ukrainian talks are under way on replacing the ageing MiG-29 fleet with drone technology.
