The remains of a downed Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter bomber are pictured in Lyman, Donetsk Region, eastern Ukraine.
Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said it took down its 10th Russian fighter jet in 10 days.A Su-34, one of Russia’s best and most expensive jets, was destroyed on Tuesday.Ukraine, however, is struggling with a lack of resources and diminishing support from its allies.
Ukraine announced on Tuesday that it had brought down its 10th Russian fighter jet in as many days.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote on X that it had shot down a Su-34 fighter bomber in the eastern direction. It didn’t elaborate on the exact location or how it was shot down.
“Oops, we did it again!” it wrote on X.
“Another Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber was destroyed by Ukrainian warriors in the eastern direction. And now it’s 10 destroyed Russian planes in 10 days!” it said.
The Sukhoi Su-34 jet fighter-bomber of Russian Air Force performs its demonstration flight at MAKS-2015 airshow near Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, Russia.
aviation-images.com
It also marks the fourth Su-34 to be shot down in a week after three were destroyed in southern Kherson Oblast on Friday afternoon.
The Su-34th is considered one of Russia’s best and most expensive jets. It’s one of the few jets that can find and attack pop-up targets in a short space of time, Forbes reported in December, and each one is worth $36 million, according to the Kyiv Post.
Ukraine’s latest kill streak marks a loss for Russia that’s “one of the worst so far” for the country’s air force, writes David Axe, an aviation and defense reporter at Forbes.
But it’s far from going well for the contry. Ukraine is seeing crucial support from its allies dwindle. Meanwhile, its troops are experiencing shortages of personnel and ammunition
In a speech marking two years since Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 31,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed since the start of the war, Radio Free Europe reported on Sunday.
“Whether Ukraine will lose, whether it will be very difficult for us, and whether there will be a large number of casualties depends on you, on our partners, on the Western world,” Zelenskyy said.
A $60bn aid package for Ukraine is currently stuck in a congressional stand-off. Zelenskyy this week told the US that Ukraine needs to be given that aid within a month.
In a recent interview with Business Insider’s Sinéad Baker, two Ukrainian soldiers urged its allies to continue supporting them and stressed that Europe could be next.
“They need to understand that Ukrainians fight not only for themselves,” Artem, part of Ukraine’s national guard, said.
“I am a Ukrainian, this is my land and my young daughter is waiting for me,” he added. “I don’t want this horrible life for her.”
Another soldier, with the call sign Local, told Baker that “it’s very important to help Ukraine and support Ukraine because Ukraine is like a first step to Europe. The second step will be Poland.”