Ukraine appears to have turned the tables in its war with Russia once again, claiming today that it has downed a £33million Su-34 bomber as it was poised to unleash strikes over the Zaporizhzhia region. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the Su-34 jet was shot down in the early hours of Thursday (September 25), after the warplane had reportedly been attacking the city of Zaporizhzhia with guided aerial bombs.
Russia did not immediately comment on the alleged loss of an Su-34. But Ukraine’s armed forces said that around 4am “a Russian Su-34 aircraft was shot down in the Zaporizhzhia direction”. The Putin war plane was “carrying out terrorist attacks on the city of Zaporizhzhia, using guided bombs”. Another source said the pilot had died. These claims, however, have not yet been verified. Separately, in multiple successes, a Ukrainian sea drone is seen dodging repeated fire from Vladimir Putin’s forces before exploding the oil loading pier in the strategic port of Tuapse.
Locals watched on the seafront as defence forces struggled to cope with the sudden attack by unmanned boats. The strike in Tuapse is a major blow to lucrative Kremlin oil and diesel sales to Asia, with exports immediately suspended. Another Black Sea oil and naval port, Novorossiysk, was also hit in evening strikes.
The Russian Su-34 is a medium-range fighter-bomber from the Soviet era. It is a twin-engine, twin-seat supersonic aircraft that first entered service in 2014. When fully loaded, it can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 1.8+ and is capable of flying up to 2,500 miles (2,200 nmi) or further with aerial refuelling.
Ukrainian forces have targeted the warplanes in attacks on Russian military airfields and have reported downing the jets directly on previous occasions. Meanwhile, Russian aerial attacks against Ukraine have ramped up dramatically in the spring and summer of 2025 and are expected to intensify in the cold months with renewed strikes on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure.
Early today, a key Putin plant suspected of involvement in explosives and ammunition supplies – EuroChem-Belorechensk Mineral Fertilisers – was hit by Ukrainian drones in the Krasnodar region. Footage showed an inferno and reports said 140 workers had to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency showed how its drones destroyed two An-26 Russian transport planes at Kacha airfield near Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. If confirmed, today’s war reports show three destroyed Russian planes.
The strikes came after Donald Trump signalled new backing for Ukraine, while accusing Russia of being a “paper tiger”. Vice President J.D. Vance said Trump was “growing incredibly impatient” at Putin’s failure to engage with peace talks, saying this would be “very bad” for Russia.
Putin’s spokesman claimed that Russians were ready for more hardships as the dictator insisted on continuing the war. Dmitry Peskov said: “Those who support President Putin, are they ready for some additional burden under the current conditions? I have no doubt that they are ready”.
