Russia's aviation capabilities in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has suffered a further blow, following the crash of another of its military aircraft and news that the plant in Moscow that makes the Sukhoi fighter jet was on fire.
Footage shared on social media purportedly showed the wreckage of a Sukhoi Su-34 plane in the Henichesk district of Ukraine's Kherson region. Eyewitnesses, quoted by Radio Liberty and the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, said that the fighter jet went down just after 10 p.m. Friday.
Crimean Wind said the plane had vanished from radar screens at an altitude of 6,000 feet above the Henichesk district after launching missiles at Ukrainian cities. At least four fire engines and ambulances went to the crash site. Newsweek emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment on Saturday.
Meanwhile, footage posted to social media showed warehouses on fire belonging to Sukhoi in Moscow's Begovoy district on Saturday. "This company is involved in development, production, marketing, training of flight personnel, after-sales service of combat and civilian aircraft of the "Su" (Sukhoi) and "Be" (Beriev) brands," posted Anton Gerashchenko, Ukrainian internal affairs adviser, on X, formerly Twitter.
A day earlier, Ukraine's defense forces said they had downed a Russian A-50U long-range radar detection aircraft near the Sea of Azov using a Soviet S-200 anti-aircraft system. "The A-50 with the call sign 'Bayan' has flown its last!" Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram.
Interfax Ukraine cited military sources as saying the A-50 had been downed on Russian territory between Rostov-on-Don and the Krasnodar region by the Ukrainian air force and its intelligence directorate.
The Russian military has not commented on the Ukrainian claim. Some military bloggers said it was mistakenly downed by Russian forces in what would be the loss of the second such aircraft in just over a month. The Russian milbloggers accused Russia's military of systemic issues that it must fix to avoid further friendly-fire incidents.
On January 14, Ukrainian officials said the country's military downed an A-50 over the Sea of Azov. The plane can spot targets up to 400 miles away and is a key command center aircraft that relays information to troops on the ground. The A-50s typically fly with up to 15 crew and have a price tag of over $300 million.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Oleshchuk said on Wednesday that Kyiv's forces took down a Su-34 fighter bombers, the seventh Russian plane reportedly destroyed by Ukraine within the week.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry's latest figures on Saturday state the Russians have lost 340 jets since the start of the war. The defense ministry also said that Moscow has struck 103 settlements and 79 infrastructure facilities in 10 regions between Friday and Saturday. Newsweek has as yet been unable to verify these figures.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
