Russia loses four aircraft shot out of the sky on Putin’s side of the Ukraine border
- The helicopters and fighter jets were said to be flying near Bryansk, Russia
- Reports indicated a Su-34 and Su-35 jet and two Mi-8 helicopters were downed
Two Russian warplanes and two military helicopters appear to have been shot out of the sky today close to the border with Ukraine in suspected missile strikes.
Videos posted on Russian social media on Saturday appeared to show the fighter jets and helicopters being downed over the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine.
Reports indicated a Su-34 supersonic fighter-bomber and a Su-35 single-seater fighter were downed.
Two Mi-8 helicopters were shot down, one over Klintsy, a town in Bryansk region, and the other close to Volkustichi village in Unechsky district, it was reported.
While some reports have disputed the number of planes and helicopters downed – instead saying there were three in total – the Mash and Baza media outlets, with links to the authorities, said that the total number of downed aircraft was four. They added that all had been returning from a combat mission.
Russian reports say the pilot and navigator in the Su-34, which crashed in the village of Istrovka near Starodub, failed to eject and were killed.
Videos showed a missile hitting one Mi-8 helicopter which exploded, plunging to the earth in flames.
Crew on the helicopters were also killed, reports said.
In one of the pieces of footage, the helicopter appears to have been struck side-on as a gush of flames erupts through the rotorcraft leaving a trail of black smoke.
Some reports claimed the incident – which was said to have occurred around 40 miles (around 64km) from the Ukraine border – was a result of friendly fire after being struck by a Kremlin missile.
Earlier TASS cited an emergency services source saying: ‘The Su-34 crashed near the Ukrainian border. The fate of those on board is being established..’
Telegram account Rybar claimed that two Russian helicopters and one Su-34 fighter jet had crashed in Bryansk region.
But channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported that the second ‘crashed helicopter’ was in fact the Su-34.
