INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
service reported Tuesday.The 63-year-old retired general had been flying a Su-25 fighter jet over the Luhansk region on Sunday when the
been on a mission to strike at Ukrainian positions around the town of Popasna, which was recently captured by Russian forces.The General
Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Sunday that its air force shot down a Russian Su-25 aircraft over the Luhansk region.If confirmed,
Defense Ministry has said 12 Russian generals have been killed so far.Russia has confirmed only two deaths among its generals in three
months of fighting.Botashev had been a regimental commander until he was forced to retire in 2012 after being found guilty of crashing an
Su-27 fighter jet while performing acrobatics.It is unclear how the retired commander was flying a fighter jet on the frontlines
have noted an uptick in Russian sorties in recent weeks.The Ukrainian air force meanwhile continues to fly sorties and its anti-aircraft
defenses remain operational, and Kyiv has received a steady supply of light anti-aircraft weapons such as Stinger missiles from its Western
allies.At least 31 Russian pilots have been killed, nine of whom were retired soldiers over 50 years old, the BBC reported this month.
