UKRAINE LOSES ANOTHER MiG-29 AND A 25-YEAR-OLD FLIGHT COMMANDER
Capt. Marat Mambetov was flying missile and bomb strikes on Russian positions when an enemy missile hit his MiG-29 on Oct 1st
He ejected but didn’t survive, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
He was a flight commander in the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, the legendary “Ghost of Kyiv” unit.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: THE FLEET IS SHRINKING
The IISS estimated Ukraine had just 14 MiG-29s left at the end of 2025.
Kyiv has now officially acknowledged three combat losses since June, with more reportedly destroyed on the ground.
WHY IT MATTERS
Every loss costs a frontline strike jet AND a trained pilot, both critically scarce.
Soviet-era MiG-29s are still flying strike missions in the fifth year of the war.
Help has been slow. Zelensky has p onointed to a possible three F-16s from Belgium by year’s end.
A 25-year-old commander. A dwindling fleet. A war with no end in sight.
Rest in peace, Capt. Mambetov.