Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter pilot Serhii Bondar killed in combat mission

The Ukrainian Air Force reports.

“On the night of August 23, 2025, after completing a combat mission while landing, MiG-29 fighter pilot Major Serhii Viktorovych Bondar, born in 1979, was killed. The causes and circumstances of the crash are being investigated,” the statement says.

The command of the Ukrainian Air Force expressed its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased soldier.

What is known about the Ukrainian defender

Major Serhii Bondar was deputy commander of the squadron of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade Ghost of Kyiv.

The defender was born in 1979 in Kropyvnytskyi, where he lived with his family - his wife, daughter and son. In 2000, he graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His entire life was connected to aviation, despite a break in service. He also worked as an instructor at the National Aviation University.

With the start of the full-scale war, he returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces and stood to defend the skies as part of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade. He restored his piloting skills on L-39 and MiG-29 aircraft. On MiG-29 fighters, he carried out daily combat missions: destroying enemy air targets and delivering missile and bomb strikes on occupier positions, their headquarters and equipment.

"We remember Serhii Bondar as a balanced and professional pilot. A person with a big heart and boundless life optimism, humor, sincerity and mutual support for those close to him. We sincerely sympathize with his family, loved ones, brothers-in-arms and all who knew the glorious defender of Ukrainian land," the brigade wrote on their page.

• On August 22, Russia lost 840 troops in Ukraine, along with 5 tanks, 23 artillery systems, and dozens of other weapons and equipment.