Strana 58
Later, Ukraine is expected to receive the
newest JAS 39E fighters. Pilot training for
this version should begin next year. Starting
in 2033, Ukrainian industry is planned to
take part in their production, manufacturing
some components domestically. But that lies
far in the future. Financing also needs to be
resolved—much will come from Ukraine’s
postwar budget, but Sweden is considering
other options such as frozen Russian assets or
military-aid funding allocated for Ukraine.
Friendly Fire
However, for now, the war in Ukraine is still
ongoing, and its daily reality includes battles
in the air. During the period covered by this
article, no confirmed losses of the Ukrainian
Air Force were acknowledged. On the contrary,
the Russian Air Force lost several aircraft—
and some sources suggest that part of these
Russian losses were caused by their own air
defenses.
The first known Russian loss took place in
October, however, was non-combat related.
It occurred far from the Ukrainian border, in
the Chaplygin district in the northern part
of Lipetsk Oblast. In the early evening of
Thursday, 9 October, a MiG-31 fighter crashed
there. According to official Russian sources,
the aircraft was on a training flight and carried
no weapons. As it prepared to land at the
base on its return, the left landing-gear leg
failed to deploy. The crew therefore directed
the aircraft toward an uninhabited area and
ejected. Both pilots survived.
The very next day, on Friday, 10 October,
a Russian Kamov Ka-52 helicopter crashed.
This time, neither the circumstances nor the
location of the crash were disclosed. However,
Russian channels confirmed that both crew
members were killed. Senior Lieutenant
Alexander Dubrovin and Senior Lieutenant
Alexander Mozharov belonged to the 15th Army
Aviation Brigade.
A week later, on Friday, 17 October,
a Su-30SM fighter from the 43rd Independent
Naval Assault Regiment crashed in Crimea.
The aircraft was engaged in repelling
a Ukrainian drone attack. After launching
a missile at a Ukrainian drone, a on-board fire
broke out. When the crew failed to extinguish
it, both pilots ejected and were quickly rescued
by a search-and-rescue helicopter. The cause
of the fire is still unknown. Russian sources
mention three main possibilities—technical
malfunction, collision with drone debris, or
being hit by a missile from their own air
defenses.
Friendly fire is also mentioned in connection
with the loss of another Ka-52 helicopter, which
occurred on Monday, 27 October. According to
some reports, Russian air defenses mistook
For the strikes deep inside the Russian territory,
Ukraine also uses these E-300 drones.
The Russian Ministry of Defense image shows a Ka-52 helicopter. During the monitored period,
Russia lost two helicopters of this type.
On October 29, Russians shot down their own Gerbera
drone over Donetsk, though propaganda claimed it was
a Ukrainian missile.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard58
December 2025