In a significant development on Friday, Ukraine declared that it had successfully shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft. President Volodymyr Zelensky and military officials celebrated the achievement, attributing it to the Odesa region anti-aircraft unit in Kherson. The Ukrainian Air Force Commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, shared the news on Telegram, calling it a major win in the ongoing conflict.
Despite Ukraine’s announcement, the Russian military has not acknowledged the incident. Some Russian bloggers have suggested that US-supplied Patriot missiles were used to bring down the jets. However, this claim has not been confirmed, and the Russian side remains silent on the matter.
Ukraine’s air force spokesperson, Yuri Ihnat, praised the operation as a “brilliantly planned” one. He emphasized the absence of Su-34s in their positive statistics for some time, indicating the significance of the recent incident.
Addressing the alleged use of Patriot missiles, Ukrainian aviation expert Valeriy Romanenko expressed his views on the matter. He suggested that the Russians might have underestimated the range of Patriot missiles, which is 160 km for aerodynamic targets. The situation reportedly involved Russian aircraft dropping bombs in the southern sector, where three Su-34s flying together were intercepted.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky shared that he had discussed future plans with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. This included the potential delivery of F-16 jets and a new support package from the European Union. The details of these discussions were not specified in the reports.
In a recent year-end address, President Zelensky acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the end of the war against Russia. He expressed hope for a swifter resolution in Ukraine’s favor if the country maintained its resilience. Additionally, Zelensky mentioned the possibility of receiving more Patriot air defense systems to strengthen the country’s security forces.
As the situation continues to unfold, the international community watches closely, awaiting further developments and official statements from both Ukrainian and Russian authorities.
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