On 22nd of December, the Air Force of Ukraine revealed that it took down 3 Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers close to the border of Crimea. If confirmed, this will be a huge loss for the Russian forces in Ukraine. It was said that these aeroplanes were taken down by the newly deployed Patriot missile system, but there are other versions floating around as well.
Su-34 is a large fighter-bomber. Image credit: Mil.ru via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)
The Sukhoi Su-34 is a big plane, not your average fighter jet. It is 23.34 metres long and has a wingspan of 14.7 metres. It is so large that the crew of 2 is sitting side by side instead of in a tandem configuration. The Su-34 was largely developed in the Soviet era, but took off for its maiden flight in 1990 and entered service in 2014.
The Su-34 usually performs ground-attack duties with cruise missiles and guided bombs, but is believed to be quick enough to do intercepting. It features advanced electronic warfare capabilities, can perform missions in poor weather conditions and is meant to attack boats and ships as well.
On 22nd of December, the Air Force of Ukraine reported that three Su-34s were shot down in the southern part of the country by ground-to-air missiles. Namely, they were caught and destroyed by a Patriot missile system that was recently deployed in the region.
It was reported that these three Su-34 jets, which were probably working from an airfield in the occupied Crimea, were used to attack the Ukrainian bridgehead on the left bank of the Kherson region. They probably didn’t take into account the presence of the Patriot in the region and were taken down deep behind the frontline.
👀 Photo from the ejection site of one of the Su-34 pilot. https://t.co/e74sSuIfzi pic.twitter.com/GC07kpLZNI
— MAKS 23 👀🇺🇦 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) December 22, 2023
There are some pictures online already, but these claims are still considered unconfirmed. However, it is likely that the story is correct, because the destruction of at least one jet was discussed on the Russian social media channels as well.
In fact, it appears that a Mi-8 helicopter, which came to look for survivors or to recover their bodies, might have also been taken down by the Ukrainian air defences. Ukrainian officials said that they had been trying to hunt down these Su-34 jets for some time, luring them closer to the newly expanded air defence zone. It was a missile ambush operation of sorts.
Interestingly, there are some bizarre conspiracy theories in the Russian channels as to what really happened. They seem to be in disbelief that a Patriot system could come so close to the frontline unnoticed. They are also not sure about the range of it, because these jets were taken down far from the known Ukrainian air defence zone.
Russians are floating a hypothesis that these three Su-34s were taken down by a friendly fire incident. It is believed that unmanned Ukrainian aircraft were present in the area and were targeted by the Russian air defence. However, in some strange accident, Russian missiles shot down their own jets instead.
Ukrainian MiG-29 with a couple of F-16s a long time ago. Image credit: Армія Інформ via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)
Another theory is that this was accomplished by F-16s. Ukrainian pilots have been training to use and maintain F-16 jets for some time now and a pro-Russian outlet Rybar claims that 12 F-16s have begun operating in Ukraine already. So now some Russian sources believe that they might have been involved in the destruction of the three Su-34s.
Even if they were not directly involved, the presence of air defence systems close to the frontline suggests that Ukraine is going to increase its air presence in the area. Both the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and the prime minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte confirmed that preparations to deliver the first batch of 18 F-16 jets to Ukraine have begun.
The Su-34 is a very expensive jet. It is believed that fewer than 160 of them were ever made and Russia probably lost around 30 of them during their invasion of Ukraine.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Kyivpost.com, Wikipedia, ukraine_map Twitter.