Russian Su-24 Jets
Russian SU-24M front-line bombers fly over the Russian national flag on the Kremlin palace in Moscow on May 7, 2019, during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade. YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • A service member of Ukraine's National Guard shot down a Russian Su-25 during a Russian sortie on Zaporizhzhia
  • The attack jet crashed on Russian-occupied territory and was destroyed, Ukrainian officials said
  • The soldier who took the shot was a comrade of the so-called "Zaporizhzhia Avenger"

A Ukrainian soldier single-handedly downed a Russian jet with a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS), according to Ukrainian authorities.

During a Russian sortie on Ukraine's occupied Zaporizhzhia region, a serviceman of the National Guard of Ukraine fired an Igla MANPADS at a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft, the service said in a statement posted on social media Wednesday.

"An explosion was heard just beyond a patch of forest following the strike. [We have] confirmed that the jet had crashed on the [Russian-] occupied territory. The target has been destroyed," the National Guard of Ukraine added, according to an English translation of the statement that was provided by Pravda.

The force uploaded footage of what is understood to be the encounter, which featured a man firing what appeared to be an Igla. However, the videos did not show an explosion nor did they show any sign that an aircraft had been destroyed.

International Business Times could not independently verify the information from the National Guard of Ukraine.

At least 16 Russian Su-25s have been destroyed in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to Oryx, an open-source analytical project that tracks military equipment losses.

Both Russia and Ukraine operate the aircraft, which first entered service with the Soviet Union back in 1981 and was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Army.

Russia's Air Force, formally known as the Russian Aerospace Forces, had about 192 active Su-25s as of 2021, while its Ukrainian counterpart had 17 at the time, according to an analysis created with the help of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.

Oryx confirmed the destruction of 48 Russian aircraft in the war in Ukraine. Among them were Russia's other warplanes, such as the Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 jets, as well as an Antonov An-26 transport aircraft.

In contrast, the latest casualty report released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence claimed that Russia has lost 223 aircraft.

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The soldier who destroyed the Su-25 with an Igla was a comrade of the so-called "Zaporizhzhia Avenger," a 19-year-old serviceman of Ukraine's National Guard who allegedly brought down several Russian jets in the war using MANPADS, according to the service.

The teen was responsible for shooting down another Russian Su-25 on July 29, the Ukrainian News Agency reported.

A Ukrainian service member walks along a trench with a Javelin missile system a at a position on the front line in the north Kyiv region
Representation. A Ukrainian service member walks along a trench with a MANPAD at a position on the front line in the north Kyiv region. Reuters / GLEB GARANICH