Lieutenant Colonel Yevhen Ivanov, a navigator of a Su-27 fighter jet, was killed in action during a combat mission.
This was reported by the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On December 8, at noon, a plane of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, whose navigator was Lieutenant Colonel Yevhen Ivanov, crashed under unknown circumstances.
Ukrainian military officials stated that the aircraft was performing a combat mission in the east. The circumstances of the crash and the death of the navigator are currently under investigation.
Aircraft of the 39th Brigade are actively used to strike Russian air defense systems with anti-radar missiles, as well as to strike with high-precision bombs such as JDAM, AASM and GBU-39.
In addition, they are involved in air defense during Russian missile and drone attacks in the depths of Ukraine and to cover other aircraft.
This is the second loss of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade in 2025. In September, Ukrainian pilot Oleksandr Borovyk was killed while performing a combat mission in Zaporizhzhia. In April, another fighter jet crashed while repelling an air attack by enemy strike UAVs, but the pilot managed to successfully eject.
