Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot killed after Russian missile hits fighter jet
A Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot was killed after his fighter jet was hit by a Russian missile during a combat mission on Wednesday, Ukraine's Air Force said.
Marat Mambetov, a flight commander with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, was conducting missile and bomb strikes against Russian forces when his aircraft was hit.
Mambetov ejected from the aircraft but did not survive, the Air Force said.
The 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade was among the units that defended the skies over Kyiv during the opening phase of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The pilots of the brigade helped inspire the “Ghost of Kyiv,” a popular early-war legend that Ukraine's Air Force later described as a collective image of the pilots who defended the capital. In 2024, the brigade was officially awarded the honorary name “Ghost of Kyiv.”