On Saturday, several fighter jets and helicopters crashed on Russian territory. It is the largest loss in the Air Force to date.
Moscow/Kyiv - Russia suffered a major loss in the air force in the Ukraine war over the weekend. Several fighter jets and helicopters were shot down on Russian territory on Saturday (13 May). While Russian media had initially reported a total of two crashed Mi-8 helicopters and two Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-35 fighter jets, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, spoke on Sunday of a total of three downed helicopters in addition to the fighter jets.
Russia loses fighter jets and helicopters in Ukraine war
All planes crashed on Saturday in the Bryansk region in western Russia. Initially, Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomas had officially confirmed only one helicopter crash. Several videos of the explosion in the air, as well as the subsequent crash of wreckage, circulated on social networks.
It is unclear who was responsible for the crash of the fighter jets and helicopters. The Ukrainian Air Force has officially denied responsibility for shooting down fighter jets and helicopters on Russian territory in the Bryansk region. According to Ihnat, it was not Ukraine, but Russian anti-aircraft defense that was responsible for the crashes. The Russian jets had prepared an attack with gliding bombs. "They wanted to bomb our peaceful people, our regions," the spokesman said. Therefore, it is pleasant for him to read such news about crashes at the Russian enemy.
A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber during a military exercise (symbolic image). © Vitaliy Timkiv/AP/dpa
Meanwhile, commander Alexander Khodakovsky, who is fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine, accuses Ukraine of being responsible for shooting down the planes. Ukraine has now been able to expand its scope of action through Western arms deliveries. He rejected the idea that the Russian air defense is said to have shot down several of its own machines due to a "stupid mistake". After the crash of several fighter jets in Russia, Wagner boss Prigozhin had also intervened and shared his theory.
Crash of fighter jets and helicopters in Russia largest loss in Russian air force so far
A total of at least nine people are said to have been killed in the crashes. However, there was no official information on this. According to the U.S. military newspaper Task & Purpose, the shootdowns of the fighter jets and helicopters represent the largest Russian loss in the air force since the beginning of the war. So far, Russia has been able to carry out attacks from the air. On Saturday, however, it was the first time that Russian planes were shot down within Russia's borders.
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The plane crashes on Russian territory occurred just a day after Ukraine first deployed the newly delivered Storm Shadow missiles from the UK, shelling two industrial facilities in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk. According to the military newspaper, the missiles could also reach Russia in terms of their range. However, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that Ukraine had pledged to use it only against targets within its own borders. (nz/dpa)