(Dan Tri) – Ukraine announced that it shot down 3 Russian planes on the morning of January 17, but this information has not been confirmed.
A Russian Su-35 (Photo: milinfolive)
In a post on Facebook, the Ukrainian Air Force Command announced that it destroyed two Russian Su-34 fighter bombers and one Su-35 jet on the morning of February 17.
The post did not reveal the location of the three planes believed to have crashed and the method of shooting them down.
Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk also announced this news on Telegram: `On the morning of February 17, in the eastern region, units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 3 enemy aircraft at the same time.
Moscow has not confirmed or denied the above information.
Meanwhile, some Russian Telegram channels such as milinfolive confirmed that a Su-35 crashed on the Avdiivka side.
`As for the other aircraft mentioned in the recently published information, they returned to base safely,` the milinfolive channel wrote.
Based on data from the international satellite search and rescue system Cospas-Sarsat, Mr. Oleshchuk said there were at least 4 cases where the pilot activated the emergency seat (Photo: Pravda).
Commander Oleshchuk then continued to object.
`There is an international satellite search and rescue system called Cospas-Sarsat. In the event of an accident, it will notify pilots of the location of their personal radio beacons. As you have
Ukrinform quoted information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as reporting that Ukrainian forces have destroyed 332 Russian straight-wing aircraft and 325 helicopters since the war began.
The Su-34 is a twin-engine, two-seat jet aircraft, considered one of the most complex aircraft in Moscow’s arsenal.
The Su-35 is a single-seat multi-role fighter that can carry air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-ship missiles.
Reuters reported that the loss of three planes will cost Moscow $100 million.
In December 2023, Ukrainian forces also announced they had destroyed three Su-34 aircraft in Kherson in southern Ukraine.
At that time, it was reported that the Patriot air defense system provided by the US shot down these three jets.
The announcement of shooting down 3 Russian planes was made by Ukraine on the day Kiev’s forces had to retreat from Avdiivka to avoid being surrounded and preserve their vitality, thereby giving Moscow its biggest symbolic victory since May.
Experts say that Avdiivka fell because Ukrainian forces had to fight in a state of ammunition shortages and were outnumbered, while US aid to Ukraine was frozen in the US Congress for many months.