Reference News Network on December 26** According to the German News Agency, Ukraine** Zelensky praised the Ukrainian Air Force and Air Defense Forces on December 25, after it was reported that the Ukrainian army shot down several Russian fighters.
According to reports, Zelensky said in his daily nightly speech on the 25th that in the week before Christmas, a total of five Russian warplanes were shot down by the Ukrainian side. Zelensky said: "This is really amazing!”
According to the report, Zelensky also issued a warning to Russian pilots in his speech. He said Ukraine's air defenses would be stronger once the F-16 fighter jets promised by the West for Ukraine were in place.
According to the report, Kyiv said on the 24th that the Ukrainian army shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter and a Su-30 fighter over the Donetsk region and the Black Sea.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Nikolai Oreshchuk, previously said on the "Telegram" social platform that the Ukrainian Air Force shot down three Russian Su-34 fighters in the Kherson region on the 22nd.
Just before Oreshchuk's announcement, the Luftwaffe said on the social platform X that it had delivered the second "Patriot" air defense system to Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Russian military bloggers admit that the Russian side lost fighters. Some analysts believe that it is possible that the Ukrainian side used the "Patriot" air defense system provided by the United States. (Compiled by Pan Jian).