(Dan Tri) – Russia announced that it had shot down two Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters after Kiev announced that it had shot down a Moscow Su-34 bomber.
Ukrainian soldiers fight in Bakhmut (Photo: Reuters).
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenko announced on March 4 that two Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters were shot down by Russian air force fighter jets near the Suvorovo area in the Donetsk People’s Republic (self-proclaimed
The announcement was made after a video appeared on social networks showing Ukrainian Mi-8 and Mi-17B5 helicopters firing at Russian positions in Eastern Ukraine.
According to General Konashenko, another Mi-8 helicopter, two HIMARS missiles and 11 Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defense forces in the past 24 hours.
`A Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian air force was shot down by Russian air defense forces near Novosyolovka in the Zaporizhzhia region,` Mr. Konashenko said.
The announcement from the spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defense was made after the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on March 3 that a Su-34 attack bomb of the Russian army was destroyed by the country’s air defense force.
According to some sources, the plane crashed near the city of Enakievo after returning from a combat mission near the Russian-controlled area of Donetsk.
In Ukraine, Su-34 aircraft play an important role in attacking ground targets of the Ukrainian army, as well as creating overwhelming superiority in aerial firepower for Russian forces.
The Su-34, nicknamed the `flying tank`, is one of the top fighter-bombers in Russia’s arsenal.
In addition, the Su-34 is equipped with the Hibin electronic warfare system on the wingtips, which is responsible for conducting electronic countermeasures against radars, air defense missile systems or warning aircraft.
Russia’s Su-34 attack plane burned fiercely after being hit by bullets from Ukraine
A spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense said that on March 4, casualties of Ukrainian forces in Donetsk amounted to 490 people.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces destroyed 394 combat aircraft, 215 helicopters, 3,324 drones, 408 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,145 tanks and armored fighting vehicles.