Ukrainian forces have shot down a £40million Russian bomber, bringing Moscow’s total aircraft losses to 332.
Vladamir Putin’s Su-34 bomber was taken down over the Luhansk region on Monday, Kyiv’s military spokesperson Andrii Kovalyov confirmed.
The loss of the Soviet twin-engine brings the total number of aircraft that Moscow has lost during the war to 332.
The status of the crew onboard is unknown.
Putin’s Su-34 bomber was taken down over the Luhansk region on Monday (not pictured)
Getty/Reuters
Ukrainian government adviser Anton Gerashchenko posted online: “In total, according to the general staff, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has lost 332 aircrafts.
“We thank our heroes for their excellent work.’
“Great job, warriors!” the Ukrainian Defence Ministry added on social media.
Russia disputed the claim straight away via the Telegram war channel FighterBomber.
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Putin has lost his £40million Russian bomber, bringing Moscow’s total aircraft losses to 332
GettyMeanwhile, Moscow launched a major attack on an “oil depot” with six Iranian kamikaze drones on Zmiiv in Ukraine’s region.
Two men were wounded, both workers of the unnamed factory. Mayor Pavlo Holodnikov said:“One broke his leg, the other had a slight fright, he went home.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly targeted Russia’s Su-34s, which have been used throughout the war to attack targets Ukrainian targets.
In December, the Ukrainian army shot down four Russian bombers in just two weeks. Three of these were shot down in a single day, Kyiv has claimed.
The Su-74 bomber erupting midair in Russia in April 2023
Reuters
In a statement, Zelenskyy said that these losses created “the right mood for the entire year ahead—the mood of our capabilities”.
The bombers have also caused accidental damage in Russia, through self-inflicted incidents.
Last April, one of Putin's war jets accidentally bombed a Russian city. The bomb - dropped by a Russian Su-34 fighter jet - landed just 25 miles away from the Ukrainian border in the city of Belgorod.
The explosion caused the surface of a road to erupt into the air, leaving a 70-foot crater behind.
The supposedly “high precision” weapon has been used to strike targets in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February last year.
However, the Su-34 which has reportedly been rushed into service in the war, are liable to errors.