These planes were attacked while dropping guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian troop positions.
Ukraine on Monday reported the destruction of two more Russian fighter jets, expanding its tally to six planes shot down in just three days. Forbes reported.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, affirmed the air force's success, saying: “One Su-34 fighter-bomber and one Su-35S fighter jet were destroyed on Monday morning.” These planes were attacked while dropping guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian troop positions.
This announcement follows Mykola Oleshchuk's statement that four Russian aircraft were destroyed over the weekend, three Su-34s and one Su-35. The Su-34, valued at $50 million each, is considered Russia's best fighter-bomber, while the Su-35 has a bomb load exceeding 17,000 pounds.
Although Ukraine's air force is outnumbered and outmoded by Russia, it has effectively limited Russian air power, limiting its operations to its airspace. Professor Justin Bronk of the UK-based Royal United Services Institute praised Ukraine's achievement, noting that it has made the Russian air force “largely irrelevant to the conflict.”
Ukraine has previously shot down Russian aircraft, including three Su-34s in December and a rare A-50 radar early warning aircraft in January. Rajan Manon, director of the US-based think tank Defense Priorities, called these losses “embarrassing” for Russia.
In response to the ongoing conflict, Ukraine has sought fighter jets from allies such as the United States. Plans to supply U.S.-made F-16s are underway, with expectations that Ukraine's air force will reach “initial operational capability” of F-16s by the end of the year, according to a Pentagon official's statement on last month.
