On Thursday, September 11, 2025, the press service of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Povitryani Syly Zbroinykh Syl Ukrayiny, AFU AF) announced on social media that during a combat mission in the Zaporizhzhia sector, Ukraine lost a Su-27 air superiority fighter (NATO reporting name: Flanker), and its pilot, Major Oleksandr Borovyk, was killed on the spot.
Major Oleksandr Borovyk / Photo: 39 бригада тактичної авіації/39 brigade of tactical aviation via Facebook
“We regret to inform that on September 11, 2025, at around 1:30 p.m., in the Zaporizhzhia sector, during a combat mission in a Su-27 aircraft, our comrade – pilot of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Major Oleksandr Mykolayovych Borovyk, born on April 19, 1995 – was killed. The causes and circumstances are currently under investigation.
We extend our deepest condolences to Oleksandr’s family and friends…
Eternal memory to the Hero!
Press release of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade
This is already Ukraine’s second loss of a Su-27 this year. The first occurred in a crash on April 28, also during a combat mission, but the pilot managed to eject. The previous Su-27 loss took place on May 17, 2024, when the aircraft, with Lt. Col. Denys Vasiliuk on board, was shot down by the Russians in an air battle.
Photo: Ukrainian Air Forces
This is also the eighth combat aircraft lost by the Ukrainian Air Force (PS ZSU) this year:
- April 12 – an F-16AM multirole fighter crashed, killing the 26-year-old pilot, a captain, on the spot.
- May 16 – an F-16AM multirole fighter crashed while repelling a Russian attack; the pilot safely ejected.
- June 29 – an F-16AM multirole fighter crashed during a combat mission; the pilot was killed.
- Night of July 18–19 – a Yak-52 trainer aircraft, used for drone interception, was lost. The two-man crew perished: Col. Konstantin Oborin, callsign Kamikaze, known as the Ghost of the South, and Staff Sgt. Roman Kutsenko.
- July 22 – a Dassault Mirage 2000-5F multirole fighter crashed during a training flight; the pilot ejected.
- August 23 – a MiG-29 fighter (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) crashed in an accident; the pilot was killed.
In 2022, Ukraine had around 34 Su-27s in its fleet (variants Su-27S, Su-27P, Su-27UB, and Su-27UP). This figure includes both operational and stored aircraft, though not all are fully mission-ready due to wartime losses and technical issues. Before the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine had inherited about 70–80 Su-27s from the USSR, but since then 18 confirmed losses have been recorded (including today’s). The exact number of operational aircraft is difficult to verify due to the ongoing conflict, but estimates suggest that fewer than half remain fully active.
