- By Vitaly Shevchenko
- Russia Editor, BBC Monitoring
2 hours ago
Image source: Russian Ministry of Defense
image description,
SU-34s are among the valuable Russian aircraft that Ukraine says it has shot down
The Ukrainian military says it shot down ten Russian military aircraft within a few days, a significant increase compared to previous months.
The lawsuit comes despite shortages in Ukraine's armed forces due to delays in Western deliveries.
According to Ukraine, a total of 342 Russian aircraft and 325 helicopters have been shot down since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
These figures cannot be independently verified. Russia does not comment.
“Another one! In addition to that in the morning!” The General Staff of Ukraine announced this in a Facebook post on the afternoon of February 27th.
“Oops, we did it again!” quipped the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on X (formerly known as Twitter). “And now there are 10 Russian planes destroyed in 10 days!”
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk says the last two Russian planes shot down were Su-34 bombers – both were shot down in the east of the country.
“Given the losses of combat aircraft and special aircraft, the Russians should think about it and stop their aviation meat grinders, at least for some time,” he said.
General Oleshchuk was referring to a Russian military tactic characterized by throwing large numbers of troops into battle without regard for their lives.
Ukraine said it shot down some of the best aircraft available to the Russian Air Force between February 17 and 27.
This includes a highly sophisticated and rare A-50 military spy plane. If confirmed, it would be the second A-50 shoot down in just over a month, an embarrassing defeat for Russia and a significant victory for Ukraine.
The other Russian aircraft Ukraine is said to have destroyed during this period are seven Su-34 and two S-35 fighter jets.
One weapon that Ukraine has likely used is the US-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile.
The higher number of Russian planes reportedly shot down recently suggests that “Ukraine is taking a more aggressive approach, risking Patriot launchers near the front lines to attack Russian fighter jets,” says Justin Bronk, senior researcher at the London-based company -Tank Rusi, told the BBC.
There are a number of possible explanations for the recent increase, including Russia's increased use of such aircraft and Ukraine's more effective air defense systems.
But without accurate information about the resources deployed on the battlefield, it may be difficult to fully explain the rise in Ukrainian claims.
Nevertheless, such an increase is remarkable.
Additional reporting by Alex Murray of BBC Verify