The crew of a Russian fighter jet ejected over Crimea after being shot down by their own side, says Ukraine’s military.
It posted an image of the type of plane with the message: “Russia shot down its own Su-30SM fighter jet”.
It added: “Through reconnaissance means of the Ukrainian Navy, a radio interception was obtained regarding the ignition of two engines and the ejection of the crew of the Russian invaders’ Su-30SM aircraft, which was performing a mission in the northwestern part of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea.”
Naval sources suggested Russian air defences shot down the fighter jet while seeking to counter a Ukrainian drone attack.
рф збило свій винищувач Су-30СМ
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) October 17, 2025
Засобами розвідки ВМС ЗС України отримано радіоперехоплення про займання 2-х дигунів та катапультування екіпажу літака російських загарбників Су-30СМ, який виконував завдання у західно-північній частині тимчасово окупованої АР Крим. pic.twitter.com/dW9Cve1eOt
The alleged incident came as Vladimir Putin’s military has launched heavy waves of air attacks on Ukraine, including targeting power infrastructure ahead of the winter.
Britain is sending tens of thousands of drones to Ukraine to counter the Russian threat.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between presidents Putin and Donald Trump could take place within two weeks, or a little later, but that there was a great deal to be worked out before a date could be set.
Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to a hold a second summit on the war in Ukraine, provisionally in Budapest, following an August 15 meeting in Alaska that failed to produce a breakthrough.
The surprise announcement came on the eve of a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and as Washington is considering supplying Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would need to call each other and set up a meeting to sort out many pre-summit issues.
“There are many questions, negotiating teams need to be determined, and so on and so forth. Therefore, everything will be done in stages, but, of course, the presidents’ will is there,” Peskov said.
“It (the summit) could indeed take place within two weeks or a little later. There’s a general understanding that nothing should be put off.”
Peskov said Russia remained open to a settlement to end the war in Ukraine peacefully, however, Putin has shown little sign of wanting to stop the conflict which he launched in February 2022.
Russian forces are gradually seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine, while suffering heavy losses.
Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war, with high casualties among Ukraine’s armed forces, as well as thousands of civilians killed, including children, often in indiscriminate air attacks.
Russia blames Kyiv and its European allies for the impasse in peace talks. Britain and other allies in turn accuse Putin of posing unacceptable demands and have said they do not believe that the Russian president is serious about seeking peace.
The Kremlin said separately that Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had spoken by phone on Friday to discuss the upcoming summit and that Orban had said Hungary was ready to host the event.
