Vladimir Putin has suffered another major loss in his war after his $50 million Su-34 bomber was downed in an ambush in eastern Ukraine.
The Soviet twin-engine, two-seat aircraft was shot down over the Luhansk region, as confirmed my Ukrainian military spokesperson Andrii Kovalyov.
Footage circulating on social media shows flames and smoke rising into the night sky from what it was claimed to be the bomber.
The fate of the Russian crew in the Sukhoi remains unclear.
With Russian forces stuck in a stalemate on the frontlines in Ukraine, more reports of downed Su-34 aircrafts using IRIS-T SLM.
Ukrainian government adviser Anton Gerashchenko said on X: ‘In total, according to the general staff, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has lost 332 aircrafts.
‘We thank our heroes for their excellent work.’
The Kremlin has lost a number of its Su-34 fighter bombers both in aerial strikes and hits on airfields.
Russian war Telegram channel FighterBomber straightaway disputed the claim by the Ukrainian armed forces.
It is unclear exactly how Ukraine managed the task – but it is not the first time that its army has impressed with the precision it is targeting such aircrafts.
In December, the army shot down four Sukhois in just two weeks.
And earlier this month a 16-year-old Russian boy was jailed and is facing 20 years in prison for setting fire to another bomber.
Reports of the downed aircraft in Luhansk come as Russian air defence systems were faced with a barrage of drones over occupied Crimea.
Ukraine launched as many as 21 drones – with most being intercepted – Russian news agencies reported today.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol said on Telegram there was no damage from the attack on Sevastopol, Crimea’s largest city and a major Black Sea port.
Ukraine-launched drones were also downed over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Tula regions, Russian agencies reported.
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