Since the start of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has confirmed the loss of at least 10 Su-34s in combat with Kiev's forces, while the actual number of aircraft shot down is believed to be much higher.
The Ukrainian air force said on Friday it had shot down three Russian Sukhoi Su-34 bombers in the south of the country, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said it happened in the Kherson region where fighting is still raging.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, announced on Telegram: “Today at noon, three Russian Su-34 bombers were shot down in the southern operational area.”
In his speech on Friday evening, Zelensky specified that these planes had been shot down by missiles, and said he was “grateful to our soldiers who destroyed three Russian Sukhoi planes at once. In the south – in our Kherson region.”
Zelensky added: “Let every Russian pilot know our response to every Russian killer. None of them will go unpunished.”
The Air Force did not say what happened to the plane pilots.
Authorities in Moscow did not immediately confirm the incident. However, the oft-cited Russian military blog “Fighterbomber” noted “combat losses” caused, in their view, by the US-supplied Patriot anti-aircraft defense system.
What are the Su-34s and why is this strike important?
The Su-34 is Russia's most advanced supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber – a type of aircraft not typically found in Western arsenals, with the US-made F-111 and F-15E Strike Eagle being its most similar multirole counterparts.
It has been in service since 2014, and Moscow has deployed the aircraft on missions in Syria and Ukraine. Although the Kremlin promotes them as the crown jewel of its military aviation, the Su-34s have been used for low-altitude bombing attacks due to the lack of guided missiles, exposing them to heavy air defences.
Since the start of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has confirmed the loss of at least 10 Su-34s in combat with Kiev's forces, while the actual number of aircraft shot down is believed to be much higher.
Ukraine's achievement on Friday is even more noteworthy considering that Russian forces have not lost more than one Su-34 on the same day since March 5 last year.
Back in Russia, Su-34s have also been involved in several crashes, most notably on October 17, 2022, when one of the planes crashed into a residential complex during a training flight in the city of Yeysk. At least 15 people were killed and 19 others were treated in hospital, according to local authorities.
In related news, the Dutch government announced on Friday that it is preparing to deliver 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, to enhance the country's air combat capabilities.
The donation is believed to represent a major step toward helping Ukraine make significant gains in the battle for air superiority, a powerful element of modern warfare that Russia has used to its advantage to maintain its stranglehold over a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
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