On June 27, the Ukrainian Air Force Command reported a MiG-29 fighter crashed during a combat mission in Poltava province, central Ukraine. While the cause remains undisclosed, the command confirmed the pilot safely ejected and was rescued.

Defence Security Asia, a military news site, reported on June 28 that open-source intelligence analysts and social media channels linked to the Russian military suggested the Ukrainian MiG-29 was shot down by a long-range air-to-air R-37M missile. The missile was reportedly launched from a Russian Su-35S fighter operating over Belgorod province.

A Russian Su-35S fighter launches an R-37M missile in an image released in 2020. *Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense*

AMK Mapping, an X account tracking open-source intelligence on the conflict, reported an unidentified missile flew towards Okhtyrka city in Sumy province during the early hours of June 27. The missile then disappeared near Zinkiv city in Poltava province.

"It appears this was an R-37M missile that shot down the Ukrainian MiG-29 near Velyka Bahachka town in Poltava province," the account later stated, adding, "The interception occurred at a distance of 190 km."

If confirmed, this incident would mark one of the longest-range shootdowns of a Ukrainian combat aircraft by a Russian fighter in the conflict.

Estimated missile trajectory from Russia's Belgorod province to Poltava airspace in the early morning of 27/6. *Graphic: X/AMK Mapping*

Colonel Cassad, a Russian military blogger, also presented alternative explanations for the MiG-29 crash. These included a technical malfunction, being shot down by an air defense missile, or a collision with a suicide unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during an interception attempt.

The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian military have not commented on the information.

The incident in Poltava province was not the only loss for Ukraine's MiG-29 fleet on June 27.

On the same day, Russian officials released a video purportedly showing a Geran-4 suicide unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacking Voznesensk military airfield in Mykolaiv province. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, "The attack destroyed two MiG-29 fighters with air-to-air weapons, a fuel tanker, and an APA-5D power supply vehicle. Pilots and technicians responsible for flight preparation were also killed."

Ukraine inherited 240 MiG-29 fighters from the Soviet Union and has since received additional aircraft from NATO countries. This fleet is frequently deployed to intercept Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles, with some aircraft modified to launch Western-supplied missiles and glide bombs.

Oryx, a Netherlands-based open-source intelligence tracking site, estimates at least 36 Ukrainian MiG-29s have been destroyed since the conflict began. The actual number may be higher, as Oryx only lists visually confirmed losses. By 2025, the Ukrainian Air Force is projected to have 53 MiG-29 aircraft in its inventory.

Pham Giang (According to TASS, Ukrainska Pravda, Defence Security Asia)