‘Last flight’ of doomed Russian general caught on video before he died in Ukraine in when his SU-25 ground attack aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft missile
- Major General Kanamat Botashev was shot down over Ukraine in recent days
- He is believed to be the highest ranking Russian air force officer to have died
- His £9 million jet was blasted from the sky by a surface to air missile
Video of the final moments of a 63-year-old Russian general shot down and killed by Ukrainian forces has emerged.
Major General Kanamat Botashev was believed to be part of a two ship formation flying low over the Donbass region when his £9m aircraft was struck by a surface to air missile.
Botashev’s death was reported to BBC by three of his subordinates. He is understood to shot down over Ukraine at low level and was unable to eject in time before it crashed.
The Major General is believed to be the highest-ranked air force casualty to have been killed in Ukraine.
Major General Kanamat Botashev was believed to be part of a two ship formation flying low over the Donbass region when his £9m aircraft was struck by a surface to air missile
The 63-year-old fighter pilot had previously been retired before returning to front-line duties
The BBC claims that 31 Russian military pilots have lost their lives over Ukraine, although the figure could be higher
Kanamat Botashev was born in 1959 in Karachay-Cherkessia, graduated from the Yeysk Higher Military Aviation Institute and qualified as a fighter-bomber. He rose from lieutenant to general.
The 63-year-old fighter pilot had previously been retired before returning to front-line duties.
The BBC claims that 31 Russian military pilots have lost their lives over Ukraine, although the figure could be higher.
Rob Lee unearthed the footage of the final moments of the general’s final flight.
Kanamat Botashev was born in 1959 in Karachay-Cherkessia, graduated from the Yeysk Higher Military Aviation Institute and qualified as a fighter-bomber.
He rose from lieutenant to major general before he was killed in action.
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday renewed his call for an immediate halt to violence on the 100th day of the war in Ukraine.
The UN chief also called for urgent protection for civilians, unfettered access to provide them with humanitarian aid and safely evacuate those trapped in areas where fighting is taking place, and respect for human rights.
‘The conflict has already taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions of people, resulted in unacceptable violations of human rights and is inflaming a three-dimensional global crisis – food, energy and finance – that is pummeling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies,’ Guterres said in a statement Friday.
From the first days of the war, he said the United Nations has been supporting the Ukrainian people trying to deal with its humanitarian impact ‘while also drawing attention to the dangers and long-term implications of continued fighting and potential escalation of hostilities for the country, the wider region and the world.’
The secretary-general said the U.N. remains committed to the humanitarian effort, ‘but as I have stressed from the beginning, resolving this conflict will require negotiations and dialogue.’
‘The sooner the parties engage in good-faith diplomatic efforts to end this war, the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the world,’ Guterres said.
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