Ukraine lost its first French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jet during a mission on Tuesday, with the pilot ejecting safely, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian air force said the incident took place during a flight mission on Tuesday evening and that there were "no casualties on the ground", according to an AFP report.
"The pilot managed to escape and it was not shot down by the Russians," he added.
"The pilot reported a failure of aviation equipment to the flight director. He then acted competently, as is expected in a crisis situation, and successfully ejected," the air force said.
France began delivering the supersonic aircraft to Ukraine earlier this year to help Kyiv defend its airspace against Russia.
The incident marks another blow for the Ukrainian military, which is suffering a shortage of air defences to counter Russian attacks.
Ukrainian pilots and mechanics have been trained in eastern France to use the jets, which have undergone modifications to combat Russian jamming.
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