Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Appears To Shoot Down Its Own Su-34 Strike Fighter
Russian forces appear to have shot down one of their own Su-34 Fullback strike fighters as it flew over the occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. Videos published online on July 17 show what are reportedly air defence systems belonging either to Russian forces or separatist proxies from the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic firing into…
Russian forces appear to have shot down one of their own Su-34 Fullback strike fighters as it flew over the occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.
Videos published online on July 17 show what are reportedly air defence systems belonging either to Russian forces or separatist proxies from the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic firing into the night sky, followed by a large fireball that floats to the ground.
Images posted online on July 18 show the resulting wreckage, identified as a twin-engine Su-34 fighter/bomber, which carries copious amounts of fuel that could be responsible for the large fireball.
A portion of the jet’s tail number is visible in some of the images, leading the Dutch Aviation Society to conclude the aircraft is RF-95890, an advanced and rare Su-34M variant equipped with upgrades to its avionics, radar, and communications systems, as well as its electronic warfare and weapons systems.
