Ukrainian air defense destroyed two Russian fighters over past day
Su-34 fighter jet (photo: Getty Images)
Ukrainian air defense forces shot down a Russian Su-34 bomber and a Su-30 fighter jet yesterday, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian air defense forces and means destroyed two Su-34 and Su-30 fighter-bombers," the General Staff said in a statement.
It is worth noting that the cost of one such bomber is about $50 million.
Also yesterday, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck 12 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, ammunition depots, and an enemy air defense missile system.
Shooting down Russian Su-34s
On the evening of December 24, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that a Russian Su-34 was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile system in the Mariupol sector.
Also on December 22, Oleshchuk said that the Ukrainian military had shot down three Russian Su-34 aircraft in the southern direction. He noted that this was the defense's response to a nighttime drone attack.
Later, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, noted that Su-34s had not been included in Russia's loss statistics for a long time. According to him, this plane is one of the newest aircraft in service with the Russian army and can cost from $50 million.
The command also hinted that the Russian Su-34 could have been shot down by a Patriot air defense missile system.
At the same time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address that the ability of the Ukrainian military to shoot down Russian fighters is "one of the keys to a just end to the war."
