The State Bureau of Investigation promptly initiated a pre-trial investigation following the official report of the military aircraft Mirage-2000 crash in Volyn.
The accident occurred on the evening of July 22, 2025, at one of the region’s airfields during a combat flight mission.
Immediately after the incident, investigators and operational employees from the Territorial Department of the SBI in Lviv arrived at the scene. A special investigative team consisting of the most experienced employees from the territorial department and the Central Apparatus of the SBI, who have experience in investigating military aviation disasters, was formed to ensure a prompt, comprehensive, and objective investigation.
Preliminary findings indicate that after takeoff, the pilot reported a critical electronics malfunction to the flight director. The aircraft crashed in an uninhabited area and sank into a flooded crater in a marshy region. Thanks to the pilot’s professional actions, casualties and destruction on the ground were avoided.
The pilot ejected in time and was promptly located by the search and rescue team. The serviceman’s condition is stable, and he has received the necessary assistance.
The event has been qualified under Part 2 of Article 416 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of flight rules or preparation for them resulting in a disaster.
Currently, investigators have examined the scene, seized service documentation and other physical evidence, and questioned witnesses. Interrogations of responsible persons, technical examinations, and analysis and decryption of data from the flight recorder are planned.
The investigation is particularly focused on examining the aircraft’s technical condition, compliance with flight preparation regulations, and the effectiveness of oversight by responsible persons.
In parallel, a service investigation is underway in the military unit to establish all causes and conditions that could have led to the extraordinary event.
The investigation is under the special supervision of the SBI leadership due to the strategic importance of aviation safety under wartime conditions.
Procedural guidance is provided by the Volyn Specialized Defence Prosecutor’s Office in the Western Region.