On Monday morning, Ukraine announced that it had successfully downed two Russian fighter jets. According to the country's air force, an Su-34 fighter bomber was struck near Mariupol on Christmas Eve. Commander Mykola Oleshchuk confirmed that the aircraft did not return to its base, although further details were not provided.
Following this incident, a Russian Su-30SM multirole fighter was subsequently downed over the Black Sea. The events mark a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The latest developments bring the total number of Russian aircraft downed in recent days to seven, following the destruction of three supersonic Su-34 strike aircraft last week. In a counterclaim, the Kremlin asserted its success, stating that it had downed four Ukrainian planes in the past 24 hours. The reported targets include three Su-27s and one Su-24 tactical bomber in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
As of now, no additional details have been disclosed, but President Zelensky confirmed the news on social media on Monday afternoon. The ongoing exchange of claims underscores the intensity of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Ukrainian Christmas Eve during wartime: our warriors shot down not only about 30 "Shahed" drones and several missiles, but also two more Russian "Su" aircraft.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2023
Russian terrorists lost five aircraft in a week. This Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead—the mood… pic.twitter.com/djCTsXTBPn
On Sunday, Ukraine revealed that Russian forces are deploying drones in an attempt to locate the weapons system responsible for downing the Su-34s. Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, spoke on national TV, stating that the Kremlin aims to identify the equipment "from which their planes were sent into eternal flight."
He further explained, "Now the enemy, using drones, is trying to gather the maximum amount of intelligence in southern areas where the Russian fighter jets were brought down."
While Ukraine announced on Friday that it had successfully downed three Russian Su-34s, the specific details regarding the weapons system employed in the attack have not been disclosed.
Some military-themed Telegram channels suggested the possible use of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
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