Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down a total of four aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces [VKS] within hours. Within just a few minutes, the Telegram channels of pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian accounts simply “blew up the news”. Ukrainska Pravda later confirmed some of the information.
Ukrainska Pravda confirms the downing of two Russian Mi-8 helicopters. The shooting took place in the Bryansk region. Information is conflicting as to how the two helicopters were brought down. Ukrainian sources claim that this was done with surface-to-air missiles, while some Russian accounts claim that Ukrainian fighters in the air used air-to-air missiles supplied by Ukraine’s allies [ie, Western-made].
The information appeared about a downed Su-35. This information is still controversial, but it comes from Russian sources. According to them, a missile brought down the Su-35, and not a technical malfunction, as some other sources claim. There is no clarity about the type of missile, but I assume that a Su-35 was shot down again over the Bryansk region.
Downed Su-34
Ukrainska Pravda confirms the downing of a Su-34 fighter bomber near the Ukrainian border. According to the source, citing Russian sources, the plane suffered an incident [technical malfunction] and that is why it fell.
However, this statement differs slightly from some official Russian sources. According to them, in the area where the Su-34 crashed, the Russian armed forces sent a special group to search for saboteurs. This suggests that Russia considers it possible that not a technical problem, but the actions of a sabotage group [via a missile, for example] had something to do with the downing of the fighter. This would mean that the Su-34 was shot down, not down.
A Russian account in Telegram, which since the beginning of the war has provided information about the events, literally wrote: “To cut off the rumors – Two Mi-8s, one Su-35, and one Su-34 were shot down. We will avenge everyone, we will kill everyone”. According to sources from the region, shortly before the Su-34 began to fall, a loud explosion was heard. This suggests a missile strike, not an engine fire, as some Russian sources claim.
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 21 February 2022, Russia claimed that Ukrainian shelling had destroyed an FSB border facility. Russia claimed that it had killed 5 Ukrainian soldiers. They tried to cross into Russian territory. Ukraine denied being involved in both incidents and called them a false flag.
On the same day, the Russian government formally recognized the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR. According to Putin not only in their de-facto controlled areas, but the Ukrainian Oblasts as a whole. Putin ordered Russian troops, including tanks, to enter the regions.
On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine by Russian Armed Forces previously concentrated along the border. The invasion followed by targeted airstrikes of military buildings in the country, as well as tanks entering via the Belarus border.
Russia has so far not recognized the invasion of Ukraine as a “war”, although that is exactly what it is, claiming that it is a “special military operation”. According to the UN, a “special military operation” can only take place after a UN resolution. There is no such resolution. So this is an invasion and war against Ukraine.
***
Follow us everywhere and at any time. BulgarianMilitary.com has responsive design and you can open the page from any computer, mobile devices or web browsers. For more up-to-date news, follow our Google News, YouTube, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages. Our standards: Manifesto & ethical princliples.