Ukrainian troops have dramatically downed a Russian fighter jet over eastern Ukraine as an oil depot was set ablaze by a drone strike more than 100 miles away in Russia.
The Soviet-designed Su-25, nicknamed “Frogfoot” by Nato, was downed over Kramatorsk, Donetsk, as it fired on Ukrainian troops.
They are not call signs, they are reporting names. Russians don’t call it the Frogfoot, it’s a name NATO uses to talk about it that’s easier to remember than numbers. All fighters start with F, bombers with B, helis with H and if I remember correctly, air to air missiles with A.
The actual nickname the Russians have for the Su-25 is Grach, meaning Rook.