Vladimir Putin has likely been left red-faced after Ukraine claimed to have shot down three Russian fighter jets in a single day. Three Sukhoi Su-34 fighter bombers were downed over the war-torn Kherson region on December 22, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the achievement during his daily address to Ukrainians on Friday, as he thanked those involved in the defence operations.
The Ukrainian President began his televised evening speech by saying it was an “important day” for his country.
He continued: “Grateful to our soldiers who destroyed three Russian Sukhoi aircraft at once. In the South – in our Kherson region. It’s the gain of our Air Force and the direct action of the Odesa Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. Thank you, guys!
“And may every Russian pilot be well aware of our response to every Russian killer – none of them will go unpunished.”
Mr Zelensky also provided an update on the delivery of the F-16 fighter jets pledged to Ukraine by the Netherlands, as he said: “From political decisions regarding the provision of aircraft, we have moved on to training pilots and engineers, and now we are implementing the technical part – the actual delivery of F-16 jets. I am grateful to the Netherlands and all our other partners who support us in this endeavour.”
The Kremlin, which doesn’t share the number of troops and equipment losses reported by Russia in Ukraine, has not yet commented on the alleged loss of jets and personnel. Influential Russian military bloggers have, however, reported on it.
Blogger Fighterbomber spoke about the loss of an unspecified number of planes, adding they may have been hit by US-made Patriot missiles. Both surviving and dead crew members were recovered, the writer also claimed.
A second mil-blogger, Voenniy Osvedomitel, said the Su-34s had probably been used to drop glide bombs on a Ukrainian position on Kherson – which remains partially occupied by Russian troops.
In October, Ukrainian forces started creating bridgeheads across the Dnipro River, which has been the de-facto southern frontline throughout 2023.
In mid-November, the Ukrainian military said to have pushed Russian forces back “three to eight kilometres” from the Dnipro river bank.
The reported downing of the Su-34s comes a few days after Mr Zelensky revealed Ukraine’s top military commanders had “proposed to mobilise an additional 450,000-500,000 individuals”.
During the same end-of-year press conference, the Ukrainian President also replied a firm “no” when asked whether his country may be on the cusp of starting to lose the war.
