Ukrainian Su-27 Flanker reportedly shot down during special operation against separatists

One Su-27 Flanker aircraft supporting a special operation to regain control on a military airfield taken from pro-Moscow separatists was reportedly shot down.

On Apr. 15, Ukrainian armed forces launched a special operation to recapture the airport near the town of Kramatorsk, in the Russian speaking east, taken by pro-Moscow separatists.

The operation involved several Ukrainian troops disembarked from helicopters and supported from the air by at least four combat planes: two Su-27 Flanker fighter jets and Su-25 Frogfoot attack planes.

Noteworthy, videos and photographs taken a Kramatorsk during the attack show the aircraft fully armed with live missiles.

Su-27 downed Ukraine

Image credit: via RT

Here below is a footage showing a Su-27 circling at low altitude, relatively low speed, over Kramatorsk: a quite easy target for trained soldiers using MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems) or other Anti-Aircraft weaponry.

 

The news of the Su-27 shot down was spread along with a video allegedly showing the Su-27 (or generally speaking, a Ukrainian aircraft) being shot down even if that was actually footage shot in Syria last year.

Fake:

Real:

H/T to Steppen Wolf for providing additional material.

 

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About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.