Ukrainian Air Force downs three Russian SU-34 fighter-bombers in the south
The Ukrainian Air Force have shot down three Russian SU-34 fighter-bombers, said Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk on Telegram. According to him, the incident occurred around noon that same day in the southern direction.
No specific details about the operation or location were provided by Oleshchuk. However, Ukrainian Air Force official representative Yuriy Ignat mentioned during a national news broadcast that the operation was planned by Oleshchuk himself.
The Russian military Telegram channel, Fighterbomber, confirmed the downing of at least one aircraft using the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. They also shared photographs of a possible rescue operation for ejected pilots, though the authenticity of the photos has not been verified by independent sources.
Prior to reports of the Russian aircraft being shot down, the German Air Force mentioned on social media that Ukraine had recently received a second Patriot air defense system. Additionally, the second group of Ukrainian soldiers had completed training on the system.
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov commented on Ukrainian Radio that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been actively pursuing Russian SU-34s for some time due to the threat they posed to the Ukrainian forces on the southern front.