Details emerge of downed Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot's dramatic rescue near Donetsk in 2023
In 2023, a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet was shot down by Russian forces in Donetsk Oblast, but the pilot was successfully evacuated within 15 minutes from territory controlled by Russian saboteurs and special forces, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
In November 2023, a pilot with the call sign "Jeff" was using HARM missiles to target a Russian S-400 complex in Donetsk Oblast when his MiG-29 was downed. However, he successfully ejected and was back in combat flights within a few months, the Air Force reported.
Military officials emphasized that within 15 minutes of the ejection, a search and rescue team from the Air Force arrived at the scene, just 26 kilometers from Donetsk, where numerous Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups and special forces were operating.
The evacuation team was led by Officer Yuriy (Horodnya), who has 25 years of military service experience. He described the team's coordinated efforts:
- When Jeff was shot down, the team was on standby in one of the districts of Donetsk Oblast.
- Upon seeing the smoke trail, they rushed to assist, as occupying forces actively search for downed pilots.
- The team managed to contact the pilot, who provided his coordinates.
- Despite the presence of Russian drones, minefields, and active shelling within a few kilometers, the team reached the pilot in 15 minutes.
- Ukrainian military units were also searching for the pilot. The team deployed, spread out, found the pilot using his coordinates, and evacuated him to a safe location.
Horodnya described this rescue as "one of the simplest and most positive" operations, especially since the pilot quickly returned to combat duty.
The military officer also recalled a previous mission where they had to retrieve a downed Mi-8 crew critically close to Russian forces, just 800 meters away. At that time, the Russians were successfully advancing, and upon returning from the operation, the nearest Ukrainian checkpoint had already been overrun.
According to Horodnya, the situation has significantly worsened compared to 2022, with constant reconnaissance drones, FPV drones, and explosive devices overhead.
On August 29, the General Staff confirmed that during the repulsion of a massive Russian missile and drone attack, the Ukrainian Air Force lost an F-16 fighter jet. The circumstances are being investigated.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that on August 26, during the repulsion of a massive Russian missile and drone attack, Ukrainian pilot Oleksiy Mes was killed.
The U.S. Department of Defense could not confirm that the F-16 fighter jet was shot down by a Patriot air defense system due to "friendly fire."