Russia suffered an unexpected setback at a time when the prospect of victory came as three famous Su-34 front-line fighter-bombers were subjected to a Ukrainian raid.
According to Al Arabiya on December 23**, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, announced that the Ukrainian army successfully ambushed 3 Russian Su-34 multipurpose bombers in the southern regions of the country on the afternoon of the 22nd. In a speech on Friday evening, Ukrainian Zelensky thanked the soldiers who shot down the Russian fighter jet in the Kherson region and publicly commended the Odessa Air Missile Defense Battalion of the Ukrainian Air Force for its exploits.
The Su-34 fighter-bomber is a highly maneuverable, all-weather, supersonic fighter-bomber with twin engines and two seats, capable of carrying a variety of air-to-ground guidance** and up to 12** pylons with up to 8 tons of ammunition. As one of the newest aircraft in service with the Air Force and Space Forces of the Russian Federation, it is estimated that each Su-34 fighter-bomber will cost at least $50 million.
The pursuit of Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers has been going on for quite some time, and these fighters have caused a lot of problems for the defense forces in the southern regions of Ukraine, the Secretary of the National Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksi Danilov noted.
According to a report by Ukrainska Pravda on the 23rd, Colonel Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, spoke on "Army TV" and disclosed the shooting down of three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers. According to him, Russian fighter pilots have recently become more and more arrogant, trying to launch guided missiles deeper into the Ukrainian army's defenses, they risked flying very close to the depths of the Ukrainian army, but they were unsuccessful and were eventually destroyed by the missiles equipped by Ukraine.
Colonel Ignat confidently claims that the Ukrainian air defense forces have elegantly destroyed three Russian Su-34s, and this is not the first time. A similar situation occurred twice in the Bryansk region and the Odessa region, which caught the Russian army by surprise.
As for what kind of system the Ukrainian Air Force used to shoot down the Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber, it was not specified. Some experts note that the Su-34 is designed as a fighter capable of evading the Buk and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems. Therefore, it can be assumed that the Russian fighter was destroyed by a more advanced anti-aircraft missile than the S-300.
On December 23, the Ukrainian ukr** reported that, according to Russian sources, the scenario of the downing of the plane this time was similar to the "Bryansk Big**" in May this year. The so-called "Bryansk Big" refers to the trap set by the Ukrainian Air Force, which shot down 5 Russian warplanes in just five minutes over the Bryansk region. It is reported that the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system was involved in the operation.
At present, the Russian side has not commented on Ukraine's claim that it shot down 3 Russian Su-34 fighters in one day. However, the simultaneous loss of 3 advanced fighters by the Russian Air Force has drawn close attention from Russian commentators and propagandists.
According to a Russian military blogger called "Fighter-Bomber", the probable cause of this loss was the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. Another war blogger reported on the "** situation with the Su-34 bombers", saying that the bombers, while on a mission to drop gliding bombs, were shot down by the MIM-104 Patriot system.
Since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and other Western countries have provided Ukraine with a large amount of military assistance, including a variety of advanced air defense systems. Ukraine has created a multi-layered air defense system, with the most advanced Patriot air defense system in the world, NASAMS, IRIS-T and SAMP T air defense systems, as well as other air defense systems. In particular, the Patriot missiles provided by the United States and Germany have become a serious threat to the Russian military warfighting apparatus.
According to Ukrainska Pravda on December 23**, the Ukrainian military revealed that it killed 1,040 Russian soldiers and destroyed 17 Russian tanks in one day on the 22nd.
If the above information is true, the Russian army suffered heavy losses in this battle. The loss of three advanced fighters and the death of thousands of soldiers in one day is too great.