Ukraine has downed two Russian fighter jets, it was announced on Monday morning.
According to the country’s air force, an Su-34 fighter bomber was hit near Mariupol on Christmas eve.
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Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the aircraft did not return to its base but did not provide further details.
A Russian Su-30SM multirole fighter was then downed over the Black Sea.
The latest news takes the total number of Russian aircraft downed in recent days to five after three supersonic Su-34 strike aircraft were taken out last week.
The Kremlin also claimed success, saying it had downed four Ukrainian planes over the past 24 hours – three Su-27s and one Su-24 tactical bomber in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
No further details have yet to emerge but President Zelensky confirmed the news on social media on Monday afternoon.
Ukrainian Christmas Eve during wartime: our warriors shot down not only about 30 "Shahed" drones and several missiles, but also two more Russian "Su" aircraft.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2023
Russian terrorists lost five aircraft in a week. This Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead—the mood… pic.twitter.com/djCTsXTBPn
On Sunday, Ukraine said Russian forces are using drones to hunt for the weapons system that downed the Su-34s.
Speaking to national TV, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said the Kremlin wanted to find the equipment “from which their planes were sent into eternal flight.”
He added: “Now the enemy, using drones, is trying to gather the maximum amount of intelligence in southern areas where the Russian fighter jets were brought down.”
Ukraine announced on Friday it had downed three Russian Su-34s, though the weapons system used has not been disclosed.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 2, 2024
Some military-themed Telegram channels suggested the possible use of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
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