Air Force: Ukraine downs another Russian Su-34 jet

A Russian Su-34 fighter jet in the sky over Kubinka airfield in Moscow Oblast in Russia on Aug. 29, 2020. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Mihail Tokmakov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Ukrainian forces shot down one more Su-34 attack aircraft on March 2, the Air Force said.

The report came almost an hour after Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced that surface-to-air missiles had been fired at Russian Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft.

“The East Air Command confirms the downing of a Su-34 fighter-bomber. Unfortunately, it was only one,” the Air Forcewrote on Telegram.

The destruction of the jet is the latest in a recent uptick of downed Russian planes. This list includes 12 Su-34 fighter bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets, and a rare A-50 military spy plane. Another A-50 aircraft was downed a month prior.

Three Su-34s were reportedly destroyed in a single day on Feb. 29 over eastern Ukraine. Another Su-34 plane was downed on the morning of March 1, the Air Force said.

The rapid destruction of aircraft comes amid Russia’s attempts to advance on the battlefield after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troopsfrom Avdiivka and three villages in Donetsk Oblast, in addition to Ukraine’s widely mentioned ammunition shortage.

Yuriy Ihnat, the Air Force’s spokesman, has said that Ukraine now has “tools” to destroy planes “at quite long distances,” explaining the recent uptick.

Russia’s total losses during the all-out war amount to about 670 aircraft — 345 planes and 325 helicopters, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

The General Staff’s figure could not be independently verified.