Russia Shot Down Its 'Most Advanced' Fighter Jet Over Tokmak, UK MOD Says

It is "highly likely" that Russian friendly fire downed one of Moscow's most advanced frontline fighter jets over the southern Ukrainian city of Tokmak in late September, the British Defense Ministry has said.

Footage circulating last month after the incident indicated the loss of an Su-35S "Flanker M" multirole fighter jet around 12 miles south of the current frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, over the strategic town of Tokmak which is a key goal of Kyiv's ongoing counteroffensive operation.

In its latest Defense Intelligence update published on Wednesday morning, the British Defense Ministry said it had 80 to 90 percent confidence that an Su-35S was destroyed in the incident.

"On 28 September 2023, Russian air defense forces highly likely shot down one of their own Su-35S FLANKER M multi-role combat jets over Tokmak, approximately 20km behind the current front line," the ministry posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"Although Russia has lost around 90 fixed-wing aircraft since the start of the invasion, this is probably only the fifth loss of a Su-35S, Russia's most advanced combat jet in widespread service," it added.

"The location is relevant because Tokmak is a heavily fortified town which often hosts Russian headquarters commanding one of the most intensely contested sectors of the front line."

"These headquarters would typically be protected with dedicated short- and medium-range air defense systems. These are almost certainly held at very high readiness, as Ukraine continues to conduct effective deep strikes against such locations."

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

The Su-35 is a modernized version of the Su-27 fighter, designed to "significantly increase engagement effectiveness against air, land and sea targets," according to the state-run United Aircraft Corporation. It has been described as a fourth-generation fighter aircraft with fifth-generation technology.

Initially intended for export, the Su-53S has been in service with the Russian Air Force since 2014. Its first combat deployment was in Syria from 2015, where it was often used to provide cover for other Russian aircraft on bombing missions. The Su-35S was also reportedly used in guided and unguided strikes on targets in Syria.

The aircraft—which former British military officer Frank Ledwidge has told Newsweek was "specifically designed" to combat Western-made aircraft such as American F-16s—has been used extensively in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The open-source intelligence Oryx website lists five Su-35S fighter jets as destroyed since February 2022, including the one downed near Tokmak in September. The five are among 84 Russian aircraft confirmed destroyed by Oryx during the full-scale invasion, and alongside another eight confirmed damaged by the Dutch website.

Newsweek has previously reported that more than a fifth of Russia's known manned aircraft and helicopter losses since the start of the war in Ukraine could not be attributed to enemy action.