Ukrainian Mirage 2000 Fighter Jet Crashes, President Zelensky: Not Shot By Russia

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's Mirage 2000 fighter jet that crashed on Tuesday was not shot by Russia, with the military saying it happened due to a equipment failure.

The Ukrainian military said one of the Mirage 2000 fighter jets supplied by France suffered a equipment failure and crashed while on duty, but the pilot managed to save himself in a seat.

Ukrainian news reports said the incident occurred in the northwestern Volyn region.

"Equipment failure occurred, which the pilot reported to the flight controller," according to the Ukrainian military on Telegram.

"Pilot then acted competently, as expected in a crisis situation, and managed to eject. Rescuers found the pilot in a stable condition. There were no casualties on the ground," he continued.

This is the first loss of Mirage jets since the Ukrainian military began accepting them earlier this year.

"Unfortunately, we lost our warplanes," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address, according to The Kyiv Independent.

"A French plane, very effective, one of our Mirage jets. The pilot managed to escape, and was not shot down by Russia," President Zelensky said.

A special commission has been set up to investigate the cause of the incident.

It is known that French-made Mirage 2000 was promised to Ukraine in a military aid package announced in June 2024. The package also includes pilot training.

The Ukrainian military announced the arrival of the first wave of Mirage aircraft in February. However, it did not say how much Mirage received by Ukraine. In March, the aircraft began operating to fend off Russian attacks.

In a phone call on July 18, French President Emmanuel Macron told President Zelensky Paris was ready to expand Mirage's pilot jet training program, training more pilots with more aircraft.