>>22779769*Dog Fight*
“Very early in the invasion I saw two jets fight each other. One Ukrainian jet and one Russian jet. I am an aviation (military aviation) fan and seeing this was a dream for me. I’m saying to you that I wish none of this happened. I believe war is bad but I am fascinated by military aircraft and what they can do. Witnessing this was for me, a mix of being happy and sad.
They were very far from me and fast moving because they are jets, so I could not see who was who, but I saw them fight. One (A) tried to maneuver behind the other (B) but B was anticipating this and climbed sharply and turned to switch the roles of hunter and prey.
I saw flares come from “A”, and then they both disappeared from my view because of the distance. For me this was exciting. Aviation fans are always talking about who (what kid of aircraft) would win in dog fights but we have almost no examples of modern jets fighting and here a fight was happening in front of me.
Another jet, C, came from behind me and right over my head. It was incredible. It was a Russian SU-25, flying low to the ground and the noise was so loud it made me shake. They are my enemy but the excitement of my interest couldn’t be helped. It was a once in a lifetime thing for me to see. C flew straight over me in the direction of where A and B had flown.
I do not know how the fight unfolded after that or who won. But I personally hope that all three pilots, no matter who they are, made their way back to their homes and have a good story to tell. I hate war. I want no one to die. I hope these pilots are all still safe to this day.”
- Ukrainian Civilian. Invasion of Ukraine. February 25th, 2022.
