Russia has escalated its air campaign after announcing it shot down a Ukrainian Su‑27 fighter jet in a major engagement that Moscow says further weakens Ukraine’s already strained air fleet.
According to a report released on 10 March 2026 by APA’s Moscow bureau, the Russian Ministry of Defense said the aircraft belonged to the Ukrainian Air Force and identified the pilot as Oleksandr Dovhach, the commander of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade.
Russia announced that he was killed when the jet went down, and Ukraine has confirmed his death and acknowledged the loss of the aircraft.
Ukraine Confirms Death of Commander in Russian Attack
Ukraine has confirmed that Colonel Oleksandr Dovhach, the commander of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, was killed during a combat mission on March 9 in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force said he died while operating in conditions of heavy Russian air superiority and powerful Russian air defense fire.
“Unfortunately, we have another painful loss for our aviation family and the entire country. Today in the eastern direction, under conditions of a significant advantage of enemy aviation and powerful counteraction by hostile air defense systems, Colonel Oleksandr Dovhach, commander of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Hero of Ukraine, was killed,” read part of the statement by the Ukraine Air Force.
The incident is the latest in a long list of air‑warfare claims made by Russia as fighting across multiple fronts intensifies.
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According to Russian media on March 10, Russia alleged that Ukrainian forces lost 13 tanks and other armored vehicles, 52 military vehicles, 1,265 personnel, and 241 unmanned aerial vehicles within a single day. According to the Air Force statement, Dovhach completed his mission but “at the cost of his own life.”
The statement described him as a leader who always took on the riskiest tasks and flew hundreds of combat missions since the first days of the full‑scale invasion.
The brigade under his command was tasked with striking Russian command posts, equipment, and communications systems across multiple regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Snake Island.
Ukraine’s military further reported that Dovhach had flown over 150 combat sorties and had taken part in major operations, including the defense of Kyiv and the liberation of Snake Island.
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He was recognized as a Hero of Ukraine for his service and had previously received several national military honors.
How the Iran–U.S. War Is Directly Hurting Ukraine’s War Effort
The outbreak of the U.S.–Israel war with Iran on February 28 has created new pressure on Ukraine’s military supply lines at the worst possible time.
The nation’s biggest challenge is air defense, and the Iran war has triggered a sudden global demand for Patriot systems, the same systems Ukraine needs to stop Russian ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian military officials have pointed out that Patriot batteries across Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are now being used daily to intercept Iranian missiles and Shahed‑type drones, tightening the global stock of available interceptors.
Trump’s administration had already been reluctant to release more Patriot launchers before the Iran crisis, and now competition for those systems has sharply increased as Gulf states race to protect their airspace from Iranian strikes.
Fighting in Iran has driven global oil prices above $120 (Ksh 15, 498) per barrel and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
These disruptions force Western governments to divert diplomatic, military, and economic attention to the Middle East, leaving fewer resources for Ukraine, just as Russia intensifies missile and drone attacks.
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