Russia Loses 12th Warplane in 12 Days

Ukraine's armed forces have shot down 12 Russian military aircraft in 12 days, according to Kyiv's military.

"A new day—a new destroyed russian plane," Ukraine's defense ministry said in a post on social media on Thursday morning local time. "Ukrainian warriors shot down a Su-34 fighter-bomber in the eastern direction. Maybe russia has started using the tactics of kamikaze planes."

There has been a recent uptick in the number of Russian military jets Ukraine has claimed to have downed. Kyiv's military said in an update on Thursday that Moscow has so far lost 342 aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Newsweek could not independently verify Ukraine's figures.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment by email.

The commander of Ukraine's Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, said the Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber was shot down at around 1 a.m. local time.

"Today, February 29, is a date that occurs once every four years, but it is already a familiar day for Russians with the loss of another plane," he wrote on his Telegram channel. "Minus Su-34 in the Eastern direction! Thanks for the work!"

"[Ukrainian] victory on earth is forged in heaven!" he added.

Commenting on the recent string of losses for Moscow, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, said that Ukrainian forces had destroyed 10 Russian aircraft in 10 days: seven Su-34s, two Su-35 fighters and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft, although in fact, as of 29 February, Ukraine claims to have downed 12 aircraft in the last 12 days.

"In monetary terms, this cost the Russian army about $880 million," Gerashchenko said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Perhaps this is due to the fact that guided bombs are being used en masse in the battles for Avdiivka and now for Chasiv Yar, but in order to drop them, the aircraft must come close to the Ukrainian air defense zone, which is accompanied by an increased number of losses," he added.

On February 23, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed that it had shot down an A-50 aircraft over the Sea of Azov, the second in as many months.

Ukrainian Army Commander in Chief Valery Zaluzhny said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down the first A-50, as well as an IL-22 command plane over the Sea of Azov on the evening of January 14.

The A-50 is a Soviet-era reconnaissance aircraft used to prepare strikes and prevent enemy attacks. Each aircraft, which has a crew of 15, costs an estimated $330 million, reported Radio Svoboda, the Russian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing government data.

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