THIS is the moment Ukrainian troops blast down Russian aircraft near Bakhmut with handheld rocket launchers.

Ukrainian forces took down a Russian Su-24 aircraft near the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut, officials said on Wednesday, March 15.

Footage released by the 93rd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, also known as Kholodniy Yar, shows troops in a building carrying man-portable air defense systems.

One soldier can be seen using a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile through an open window. The footage then cuts to a thick plume of smoke near Zaitseve, where Ukrainian forces said a Soviet-era bomber was hit. A parachute can be seen gliding through the air.

Storyful has not confirmed the exact date of filming, however, the 93rd separate mechanized brigade has recently been engaged in fighting near Bakhmut.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Bakhmut would be defended, according to advisor Tymofiy Mylovanov, as the grinding frontline battle continues.

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