A Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 front-line bomber crashed during a mission in western Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region on the evening of June 16, killing both crew members on board, according to an official statement from the Air Force.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:00 p.m. while the aircraft was carrying out an operational flight over Khmelnytskyi Oblast. The bomber belonged to Ukraine's 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, which is based at the Starokostiantyniv Air Base in the region.

The Air Force identified the victims as Major Bohdan Hryhorovych Zaharulko and Senior Lieutenant Bohdan Oleksandrovych Babenko, who were serving as the aircraft's pilot and navigator.

"We express our sincere condolences to the families of the fallen servicemen, who defended our country to their last breath," the Air Force said in a statement.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. Emergency responders and law enforcement personnel were deployed to the scene shortly after the incident. Officials confirmed that no civilian casualties or injuries were reported.

Earlier in the day, residents in the Shepetivka district reported hearing an explosion and shared videos on social media showing what appeared to be the crash site. Some online reports initially misidentified the downed aircraft as a MiG-29 fighter jet.

The Su-24 is a twin-engine tactical bomber developed during the Soviet era and remains in service with both Ukrainian and Russian armed forces. Ukraine inherited its fleet of Su-24 aircraft following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the platform continues to be operated by the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

Since the outbreak of the full-scale war, Ukraine has rarely disclosed losses involving combat aircraft and other military assets. At the same time, Russia has repeatedly claimed to have struck Ukrainian airfields and aviation infrastructure, although many of those assertions have not been independently verified.

The loss of the aircraft and its crew marks another setback for Ukraine's military aviation forces as the conflict continues into its fourth year. (ILKHA)