KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian Air Force said Ukrainian defenders shot down a Russian Su-35 multirole fighter jet on Tuesday, July 8.
The announcement was made on the Ukrainian Air Force's official X account, which posted: "Today we took down yet another russian air terrorist! Glory to Ukraine! Stay tuned!"
The Air Force did not disclose the location of the incident or provide additional operational details.
Following the Ukrainian announcement, Russian military commentators also acknowledged the reported loss. Oleksii Zemtsov, who runs the Voevoda Veshchaet Telegram channel, identified the downed aircraft as a Su-35. He claimed the pilot survived, evaded capture, and returned to Russian-held positions. According to Zemtsov, the pilot is expected to receive a new Su-35.
Some open-source intelligence (OSINT) monitoring channels initially debated whether the downed aircraft was a Su-34 fighter-bomber. However, subsequent reports aligned with the Ukrainian Air Force's assessment that the aircraft was a Su-35. The Sonyashnyk Telegram community, which is closely associated with Ukrainian military aviators, described the downed pilot as a "persistent thorn" in Ukraine's defense operations.
The Su-35 is a Russian 4++ generation multirole fighter developed as an advanced modernization of the Su-27 family. It is designed for air superiority, escort missions, and strikes against ground and naval targets. The aircraft is equipped with thrust-vectoring engines for high maneuverability and can reach speeds of up to Mach 2.25 (about 2,400 km/h). It is capable of carrying air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and guided aerial bombs.
Russia has regularly used Su-35 fighters during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including for missile and guided bomb strikes. Ukraine has previously reported downing Su-35 aircraft, including one in Russia's Kursk region on June 7 last year.
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