Ukraine loses French Mirage 2000 fighter jet

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced early Wednesday the loss of Ukraine's first French Mirage 2000 fighter jet in a crash that occurred yesterday evening, confirming that the pilot was able to safely eject from the aircraft and was not shot down by Russian forces as rumored.

Zelensky said in a speech broadcast on the official presidential website: "Unfortunately, we lost one of our highly effective French Mirage 2000 fighter jets. But thank God, the pilot survived and was not shot down by the Russians."

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force stated in an official statement that the incident did not result in any injuries on the ground, indicating that the pilot reported a sudden malfunction in the aircraft's equipment to the flight director, then efficiently handled the emergency and successfully parachuted to safety.

Ukrainian pilots and technicians had received intensive training in eastern France on operating Mirage 2000 aircraft, which were delivered to Kyiv as part of the French military aid package to support Ukraine against ongoing Russian attacks.

This news comes amid discussions between the chiefs of staff of Britain and France in Kyiv on the possibility of deploying a European force to support Ukraine, a move that could enhance its air defense capabilities.