Moment a Russian warplane explodes in huge fireball over Donetsk

This is the shocking moment a downed Russian warplane exploded in a huge fireball today over the embattled Donetsk region of Ukraine.

The Su-25 Grach jet was reportedly hit by Ukraine’s airborne assault troops who targeted the low-flying close air support aircraft with a man-portable air defence weapon (MANPAD). 

The clip misses the moment the plane is hit by the missile, but the white smoke of the stricken aircraft can be seen trailing through the air towards the crash site as another warplane flies past.

Moments later, the wreckage ignites and erupts in a huge fireball. 

The wreckage ignited in a huge fireball which rose above the fields outside the town of Marinka in Ukraine’s Donetsk oblast

White smoke is seen trailing through the sky towards the crash site as the fireball subsides

The Su-25 Grach jet (file picture) was reportedly hit by Ukraine’s airborne assault troops who targeted the low-flying close air support aircraft

Miraculously, the Russian pilot managed to eject before his aircraft slammed into the turf in the countryside on the outskirts of Marinka town, according to multiple pro-Russian Telegram channels.

The commentators refused to acknowledge that Moscow’s plane had been hit by a Ukrainian anti-air weapon, stating simply that ‘the causes of the crash are being investigated’.

‘Lately, the Ukrainians have had nothing to do with the downing of our planes.’ 

The pilot was said to have made an escape and was shuttled to safety by Russian forces, who still occupy much of the land around Marinka despite bloody battles raging mere miles away in and around the towns of Bakhmut and Vuhledar. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is planning to visit Canada to seek supplies of ammunition and armoured vehicles to launch a counteroffensive against invading Russian forces, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday.

Shmyhal said in an interview with the Canadian newspaper that he was not concerned about the lack of new military aid allocated for Ukraine in Canada’s federal budget, and hoped the country would provide more aid among other forms of assistance.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal attends a news conference in Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 3, 2023

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov stand on one of the first Leopard 2 tanks delivered from Poland

‘Now, we need heavy armoured vehicles. And we need more artillery shells: ammunition for howitzers and ammunition for tanks,’ Shmyhal said. ‘It’s crucially important for the organisation of our counteroffensive.’

Ukraine is expected to launch a counter-offensive to seize back land in the south and east of the country from Russian forces in the coming weeks or months.

Shmyhal will visit Canada in coming weeks, the Globe and Mail said, adding that for security reasons the Kyiv government was not divulging the date of the trip.

The Ukrainian premier was quoted by the Globe as saying Ukraine would also like Canada to offer war risk insurance to Canadian companies investing in Ukraine to support reconstruction and foreign investment.

‘So if a Canadian company will decide to invest money into Ukraine, we will ask the Canadian government to create some mechanism to support Canadian investments,’ he said.

Ukraine faces an unprecedented budget deficit this year due to ballooning military spending to fight off Russia’s invasion and it relies heavily on foreign financial aid.