Around 7:00 p.m. on June 16, 2026, a plane crash occurred involving a Su-24M frontline bomber of the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade named after Petro Franko of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
"The crew of the Su-24M – a pilot and a navigator – was performing a mission in Khmelnytsky region. Unfortunately, both pilots died," a report on Telegram says.
The Air Force expressed sincere condolences to the families of Major Bohdan Hryhorovych Zaharulko and Senior Lieutenant Bohdan Oleksandrovych Babenko.
"Rescuers and law enforcement officers are working at the crash site. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties among the civilian population," the report says.
The reasons and circumstances of the crash are being established, the Air Force said.
