Ukraine Says It Shot Down 3 Russian Su-34 Jets, Possibly Using Patriot Missiles

• Ukraine claims to have downed three Russian Su-34 fighter jets.
• Unconfirmed reports suggested Ukraine could have used a Western-donated Patriot missile system.
• Yurii Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force, called it a “brilliantly planned operation.”

Ukraine claims to have downed three Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jets on the southern front on Friday.

“Today, at noon, on the southern front, we destroyed three Russian Su-34 bomber aircraft,” Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, wrote on Telegram.

Yurii Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force, told Ukrainian TV that it was a “brilliantly planned operation.”

He added that such a success was rare, and a fighter jet such as the Su-34 “has not been included in our positive statistics for a long time.”

Russia did not comment on the reports, but some milbloggers acknowledged that there had been losses, The Moscow Times reported.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the Odesa region anti-aircraft unit for downing the Russian jets around Kherson, an area that’s seen an uptick in fighting in recent months, in his nightly address, Reuters reported.

Russia still occupies large swathes of the eastern side of the Dnipro River after largely retreating from the western side last year.

Analysts suggested that Ukraine could have used a Patriot missile system, a Western-supplied weapon with a range of up to 100 miles, which Ukrainian forces could have launched from the western side of the river, Reuters reported.

Ukraine claimed in May that it used a Patriot missile system to take out five Russian aircraft in five minutes.

The Su-34s, which the Russian company Sukhoi produces, are a key part of the Russian Air Force. They are believed to cost millions of dollars, with Inhat claiming one cost “at least 50 million dollars.”

Oleshchuk said Ukraine attacked the jets were attacked in revenge after Ukrainian forces discovered wreckage from a downed Shahed drone Russia fired, with “Die, bitches!” written on it in Russian.

The New Voice of Ukraine said Russia is believed to have had 155 Su-34s before it began its invasion of Ukraine, of which at least 20 have been reported as shot down.

The reports of Ukraine’s latest successful attack come as the Netherlands confirmed on Friday that it will deliver 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine for the first time.

Ukraine has long been requesting the fighter jets from its Western allies.