Kiev [Ukraine], October 2: The Ukrainian Air Force has lost another fighter jet in the war with Russia.
The MiG-29 was shot down by a Russian missile whilst on a combat mission, the Ukrainian military announced on Telegram on Thursday.
The pilot managed to eject, but did not survive the crash. The fighter jet had just carried out an attack on an unnamed section of the front line.
According to official figures, the Ukrainian Air Force lost two further MiG-29 fighter jets during combat missions in June and August.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that aircraft of this type were also lost as a result of Russian air strikes on Ukrainian air bases. According to estimates by experts at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine still had 14 Soviet-built MiG-29s at the end of 2025.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently held out the prospect of the delivery of three further F-16 fighter jets from Belgium by the end of the year.
However, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, Kiev is facing a problem with the maintenance of the US-made jets, meaning that only a few are operational.
The Ukrainian Air Force is also using its small stock of fighters to defend against the high-speed jet drones that Russia has been deploying with increasing frequency for several weeks.
Meanwhile, a Russian drone struck a school in Kiev on Thursday, causing a fire and damaging the building but leaving pupils and teachers unharmed, Zelensky said.
"The Russian monsters continue to attack the life of our country, Ukrainian children and our schools," Zelensky wrote on social media.
A fire broke out on the second floor, while windows and doors were damaged and part of an exterior wall was destroyed. Zelensky promised counter-attacks and called on Ukraine's allies to increase the pressure on Russia and step up their support.
The news portal Hromadske reported that this was not the first strike on the school. It said that the majority of pupils were attending lessons online due to the persistent threat of Russian strikes.
Officials in Kiev also said two drones had struck close to a support pillar of the South Bridge over the Dnipro river.
"Metro and public transport services across the bridge are currently suspended," Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on Telegram, adding that experts were inspecting the structure.
Videos circulating on social media showed a drone strike in the immediate vicinity of a moving metro train.
The city authorities introduced a new warning system at the beginning of September, under which the metro line crossing the South Bridge remains in operation even in the event of simple drone attacks.
Source: Qatar Tribune
