Overview
- A MiG-29 flying a strike mission on the eastern front was hit by an enemy missile on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, the pilot ejected but did not survive.
- The Ukrainian Air Force identified the pilot as 25-year-old Captain Marat Redvanovych Mambetov, a flight commander with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade known as the 'Ghost of Kyiv.'
- The Air Force announced the loss on social media and offered condolences, saying Mambetov defended Ukraine until his last breath.
- The 40th Brigade operates part of Ukraine's Soviet-era MiG-29 fleet from Vasylkiv Air Base, and the strike underlines the hazards these older jets face in contested airspace.
- There was no independent Russian confirmation of the strike in the reporting and the loss adds to ongoing attrition of aircraft and experienced personnel, with likely short-term impacts on the brigade's leadership and morale.