DANGER ZONE
Shocking moment Russian Su-24 warplane is shot down in Ukraine’s bloodiest battle as pilot makes lucky escape
THIS is the shocking moment a pilot makes a lucky escape from his Russian Su-24 warplane, which was shot down amid Ukraine’s bloodiest battle.
The terrifying footage was released by Ukraine officials and was believed to have happened near Bakhmut today.
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The Russian fighter jet was reportedly taken down by Ukrainian ordnance.
The video showed the ejected pilot’s miraculous escape after his warplane crashed near the frontlines.
The footage begins with the Su-24 jet engulfed in flames as it smashes into the floor.
Moments later, the Russian conscript attached to his parachute was seen descending through black plumes of smoke as he made an emergency landing.
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His condition was not immediately clear after he came down in the war zone.
Andrii Borysovych Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, released the footage and confirmed the incident in a statement.
He said: "The 93rd Mechanized Brigade landed an enemy aircraft forever, probably an Su-24."
The officials also claimed the footage was filmed near Bakhmut.
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The eastern city is currently the key battle of the war as Vladimir Putin's forces press in their bloody advance.
Ukraine estimates some 30,000 Russians have died in the "meat grinder" - with battle raging for the past nine months.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed not to retreat from the area, despite also facing heavy losses.
Satellite images of the former salt mining region have shown the true devastation experienced as it is now declared a "killing zone".
Chilling before and after pictures of the area - once home to more than 70,000 people - show the green landscape churned up into a shell pitted mud bath.
Tower blocks and houses, which were once family homes have now been left devastated by the Russians.
Roads have been ripped up, trees torn apart, buildings left burning, and the lives of tens of thousands of people have been shattered.
The life expectancy of soldiers on the frontline is just a mere four hours.
Last week, Ukrainian forces suffered a heavy blow when Putin's bloodthirsty thugs, the Wagner Group, seized control of most of the land.
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, also known as Putin's Chef, bragged his forces had captured the east of the city.
He said via Telegram: "Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of Wagner."
Amid the war raging in the east, today marked 385 days since Russia's invasion.
Just yesterday, the US was nearly dragged into the war after one of its drones was taken down by a Russian fighter jet.
The US military warned the incident was one of several recent "aggressive" and "dangerous" actions by Russia that risked "escalation" into war.
The drone was taken down while flying over the Black Sea near Russian occupied Crimea and the Ukraine frontline.
A Russian Su-27 jet struck the propeller of the MQ-9 Reaper drone resulting in it crash landing in the sea and its loss, the US European Command said.
Prior to the collision, which happened at 7am on Tuesday, two Su-27s had "dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9" in a "reckless" and "unprofessional" manner.
The incident marked the first time since the height of the Cold War that a US aircraft has been brought down by the Russians.
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Ukraine's Armed Forces reported that between February 24, 2022, and March, 15, 2023, Russia has lost about 161,520 personnel.
The Kremlin disputes these claims.
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