You're reading: Two Ukrainian Su-25 shot down by missiles launched from Russia

Two Su-25 attack aircraft belonging to the Ukrainian anti-terrorist forces, according to initial reports, were shot down from outside the territory of Ukraine, spokesman of the info center of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Lysenko has said.

“After the Ukrainian pilots successfully fulfilled their tasks, they
were targeted by powerful surface-to-air missile systems. Two aircraft
were shot down at a height of 5,200 meters. According to initial
reports, the missiles were launched from the territory of Russian
Federation, he said at a briefing in Kyiv on July 23.

Lysenko said that an inquiry was underway, and information about the
pilots is not being released out of concerns for their safety.

Lysenko said he doubted whether the militants could shoot down the
aircraft, as the man-portable air defense systems they have can reach
aerial targets just at a height of approximately one-and-a-half
kilometer. Ukraine earlier claimed the insurgents had a Russian Buk-M
surface to air missile complex, but said that it had been moved back to
Russia after the downing of Malaysian Airways flight MH17.

As reported, two Su-25 attack aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
have been shot down near the village of Dmytrivka of Donetsk region by
surface-to-air missile systems, with the pilots bailing out, the
anti-terrorist operation (ATO) press center reported.